Enchanted Love
by TKayy
Summary: Aria and Ezra meet as teacher/student on the first day of school. There's an instant connection. Will they end up together? Or will someone else whisk in and steal their hearts? Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Ezra POV**

Ezra Fitz walked into Rosewood Day High School for his first day ever being a teacher. He looked around at the building he was now proud to call work. It wasn't the most developed school but it was enough for him. He could still smell the paint from where the walls had recently been painted in preparation for the new year. He walked through the halls toward his classroom. He glanced down at the piece of paper in his hands has he stopped in front of a door. 'Room 36' was written down. He peered up at the room number and smiled before opening the door. He turned on the light and stood in doorway taking in the room. It was bare aside from the teacher's desk at the front of the classroom, student's desk across from it, and two chalk boards, one behind the teacher's desk and one on the wall beside the student's desks. He walked further into the room and set his briefcase down on his desk.

He turned toward the door when he heard the slight chatter from the hallway now being filled with kids. He walked out the door and headed to the principals office. He stepped through the doors and waltzed over to the front desk. The woman behind the desk looked up at him while on the phone and smiled holding up a finger signaling for him to hold. He grinned back and nodded. When she went back to talking on the phone, he used the chance to give her a once over. She didn't look much older than him. She was blond with cool blue eyes. Her voice was so soft it sent chills down Ezra's spine. When she hung up the phone she turned to him.

"What can I do for you?" she asked smiling. She lightly bit her bottom lip and looked him up and down.

Ezra noticed this and couldn't keep the boyish smile off his face as he stated, "I'm the new English AP teacher. Ezra Fitz." He reached out his hand to shake hers. She responded by telling him her name was Maria Sanchez. "I'm here to pick up a schedule and my class roster."

"Ah, yes. One moment." As she was walking away, she sent glances back over her shoulder. Ezra strained his neck to watch her with soft smile upon his lips.

A few minutes later, she returned with his papers in her hand. She handed them to him just as the bell rung. He looked up at the ceiling before looking back at her with an apologetic smile. "Got to go."

He was almost to the doors before she called his name. He turned to look at her. "Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?" He smiled and nodded. They exchanged numbers before he left.

**Aria POV**

It was her first day back in Rosewood in over a year. The town looked the same as it did before she left. It seemed as though nothing at changed but it had. One of her best friends, Alison DiLaurentes, went missing the previous summer while she, Alison, and their three friends, Hanna Marin, Emily Fields, and Spencer Hastings were having a sleep over.

She parked her car in Rosewood High School's parking lot. She turned off the vehicle and sat there for a few minutes looking at the school. She sighed before getting out and grabbing her things from the trunk. She stepped through the doors to the school and was immediately caught off balance by three hugs.

Aria has spent the year in Iceland and had still managed to keep in contact with Hanna, Spencer, and Emily. Things weren't the same after Alison went missing but they still talked a little. Aria smiled at her friends as she hugged them back.

Hanna had told her about her transformation but seeing her in person was surreal. Before Aria left Hanna was the fat, quiet girl everyone made fun of. But now, Hanna was skinny and seemed to be the "it" girl. Spencer and Emily hadn't changed much.

Hanna asked her all about Iceland as they walked to their lockers. Aria told them all about how magnificent it was. Aria opened her locker and threw her second, third, and fourth period stuff in there.

"So, what's your first period?" Spencer asked when the bell sounded.

Hanna, Emily, and Aria all responded in unison, "AP English."

"Mr. Fitz?" Spencer questioned. They nodded. "Me, too! I heard he is really hot." Aria smiled as the walked to class. They took their seats. Spencer sat up front as usual, Hannah sat in the second row in the middle hoping not to gain too much of the teacher's attention, while Emily and Aria sat beside each other in the back with the windows to their right.

Aria reached into her backpack and pulled out her binder. She heard the door closed and looked up when some of the other kids began to whisper. She was caught off guard by the sight she saw. Sure Spencer had said he was hot but Aria didn't think he'd be that hot.

The man who walked in was probably twenty-five, give or take a few years, and he had dark brown curly hair. His blue eyes shown with excitement as he looked about the classroom. He wore a dark suit with a white under shirt and blue tie. His eyes scanned the room and paused slightly as they landed on Aria. She could feel herself blushing as she looked down. When she looked back up he had looked away with a little tint of red on his cheeks.

**Ezra POV**

Ezra found himself growing nervous as he got closer to the door of his classroom. He paused just outside the door and took a much needed breath before walking in. He closed the door behind while looking around at the students with a smile. He made a note of each one's face and paused when he came across a pale brunette with large green eyes. He caught her giving him a once over and couldn't help but do the same to her. Her style was very unique. It wasn't like most of what he'd seen in Rosewood. He looked back up at her face and saw her blushing. He looked away and cleared his throat. He flipped through the pages that Maria had given him as the class quieted down. Finding the class roster, he took out a pen and leaned against the front edge of his desk.

He cleared his throat loudly hoping to get the few students who were talking in the back attention. "I'm Mr. Fitz, your new English teacher. When I call out your name please say here and if you like to be called something else." He took a few minutes and read off the names from the list. He looked up after each name to match it with a face.

"Aria Montgomery." He looked up and glanced around the room. He heard a suave voice say here. It was the girl who had given him the once over. She smiled at him and he gave her a slight smile in return before continuing down the list.

Once he was done he opened his briefcase and pulled out some papers. He began talking about the basic first day stuff as he went around to each student and gave them a papers on class procedure, due dates for major assignments, grading rubric, and a letter to be signed by their parents. When he got to Aria, he stopped talking for a moment when her hand grazed his. He looked down at her and saw he green eyes peering up at him. He quickly brought himself out of her eyes and kept going down the aisle. He saw a girl in the front row, Spencer if he remembered correctly, look back at Aria with furrowed brows. He rounded the desk to head toward the back to pass out the papers to the last row and saw Aria merely raise her shoulders in a shrug.

After passing out the papers, he sauntered back to the front while looking at the class. He still had forty-five minutes of class left. He turned back toward the class and propped himself up against his desk with his arms folded over his chest. "So, we still have forty-five minutes of class left. How about we get to know each other a little better? Pair up with one other person in the room and ask them three unique questions about themselves. You will be presenting their answers to the class." Everyone got up to find a partner. Ezra had counted how many students there were while he was handing out the papers. He came up with an odd number which meant someone was going to be paired up with him.

He looked down at the floor and tapped the heel of one boot and the toe of the other while he waited for someone to speak up. He felt a hand on his arm and he looked up. Aria was smiling at him. His eyebrows drew together in confusion. She decided to inform him, "Uh, I don't have a partner."

Ezra looked stood a little straighter. "Oh yes, right, sorry." Aria smiled and licked her lips. He watched her mouth before looking into her eyes. She still had a smile playing at her lips as she tilted her head to the side. He looked straight ahead and tilted his head and pursed his lips in thought. "Ummm, what are some things you like to do in your free time?"

"Well, I read and write. Most of my writing is just for me, though." Ezra looked over at her and smiled slightly. She kept her body face him but leaned her hip against his desk. "How about you?"

"Same. And I like to travel. I spent a semester of my junior year over in Iceland." Ezra watched her eyes grow wide in delight.

"I just got back from Iceland. My family and I moved there for a year after…" The light in her eyes had died suddenly. Ezra squinted in confusion.

"After what?" he questioned softly.

Aria looked up at him and smiled before shaking her head. "Anyway, next question."

Ezra looked at her in confusion. He noticed her swallow a lump in her throat. He decided to move on to his next question. "What do you like to write about?"

Aria blushed slightly before whispering, "Romance." Ezra bit his lip to keep the smile from forming. She must have noticed because the redness on her cheeks deepened. He pushed his shoulder slight and said, "Stop. It's not funny."

"I'm not laughing!" He said back before breaking out into a smile.

Aria smiled. It dropped and now her face was full of panic, "But please don't say that in front of the class."

Ezra furrowed his brows in confusion. "Why?"

"Because…because it's embarrassing!"

"That's nothing to be embarrassed about. I write romance sometimes. It's not very good but…" he ventured off when he saw her blush again. She just couldn't stop blushing around him. Then a thought occurred to him. When she said romance maybe she meant…

Before he could finish the thought the bell rung and she sprang away from him to gather her things. He cleared his throat and spoke up to everyone, "We'll present what we learned tomorrow. Have a nice day!" He walked around to stand behind his desk.

**Aria POV**

Aria gathered her things as quickly as she could. She mentally smacked herself across the face. She couldn't keep herself from blushing the whole time she was talking to Mr. Fitz. She sighed in frustration when she noticed she was the last one in the room and she couldn't her binder to go into her backpack. She tried to shove it into the opening but it still wouldn't fit.

"Everything okay?" She heard a voice above her. She paused slightly before looking up. Mr. Fitz was smiling down at her. She looked down at her bag and groaned. She stood up with her things. Mr. Fitz grabbed the bag and binder from her hands and smoothly placed the binder inside. He closed the flap and held the strap open for her to prop it on her shoulder. She sighed and placed it on her shoulder.

"Thanks," she said lamely. He smiled and nodded. That smile was really getting on her nerves. It made her want to jump him right then and there. She shook her slightly. He's her teacher for crying out loud. "I should go before I'm late for second period." She quickly stepped around him and out of his classroom. She quickly walked to her locker where Hanna, Emily, and Spencer stood waiting for her.

"So, what took you so long? Drooling over Mr. Fitz?" Hanna questioned. Aria rolled her eyes as she opened her locker.

Throwing her English stuff inside and grabbing her history stuff she answered, "No. I couldn't get my binder in my backpack." Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the girls sharing a knowing smile. She turned to them in annoyance. "What?" she questioned.

"Nothing," Emily said. Emily looked at Spencer.

Spencer, always the one to speak up, said, "We just noticed the way he was looking at you is all." Aria squinted in confusion. She shook her head. Spencer continued, "No, I'm serious. Every time he looked at you he would stop talking and he looked at you a lot."

"A lot." Hanna spoke up. She was grinning from ear to ear. "And…I couldn't help but notice the blush that pretty much stayed on your face the whole period."

The warning bell sounded and Aria closed her locker while saying, "You guys have it wrong. He's my teacher. Nothing else." She left them standing there as she headed off to class. She passed Mr. Fitz's class and smiled at him when she saw him in the doorway. He smiled back and watched her walk down the hallway.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Ezra POV**

For the rest of the day, Ezra couldn't help but catch himself thinking about Aria. He mentally slapped himself each time he thought of her. She was his student for crying out loud! He should not be thinking about her. Especially, since he had a date the next day. Ezra was shot out of his thoughts as the bell ending the day sounded. Having not handed out any assignments today, he had nothing to grade. He packed up his briefcase and headed for the door. He cut out the lights and stepped out, turning to lock his door. He turned back around to walk to the exit when he ran into someone.

He blew out a huff of air as the body hit him. "I'm so sorry!" he stated, bending down to help her gather her things. When he looked up at the girl in question, who had also bent down to gather her things, he was met by Aria's beautiful green eyes. He paused and stared. Luckily, she was able to look away. She whispered her thanks as she grabbed the items from his hand and rushed down the hall toward the exit. Ezra simply stood watching her back. He sighed to himself before going off in the same direction.

When Ezra looked up after throwing his briefcase into the backseat of his car, he saw Aria leaning against her car talking to boy her age. He didn't recognize the guy but based on his body language he was clearly interested in her. Ezra stood there motionless watching from afar. Aria didn't seem all that fascinated with the boy but maybe that was just his imagination playing tricks on him.

"Ezra!" He quickly spun around toward the high pitched voice coming from behind him. He smiled boyishly as Maria walked up to him. She stopped in front of him showing her pearly whites. "We're still on for tomorrow night, right?" Ezra nodded. "Great! See you in the morning!" She gave a small wave before retreating to her car. Ezra gave a small wave and turned to look at Aria only to find her, her car, and the boy were gone. He sighed to himself and got in his car to head home.

**Aria POV**

Aria rushed to her car after accidentally running into Mr. Fitz. The fact that she ran into him wasn't what made her blush uncontrollably the whole way back to her car, it was the fact that she hadn't expected his body to be so…hard. Like he worked out everyday kind of hard.

She was hoping to throw her bags into the back of her car and tail it out of there when Noel Kahn walked up behind her. "Aria?" Aria turned around to face him. "You remember me?" Aria nodded. How could she forget? Noel Kahn was the most popular guy at Rosewood High. All Noel had to do was smile and he had girls melting at his feet. Aria used to be one of those girls but ever since she got back from Iceland she felt different. She wasn't interested in any of the guys at her school. They all seemed immature to her.

Noel was talking to her but when she glanced over his shoulder and saw Mr. Fitz watching them from his car, she zoned him out. His voice faded into the background. Aria watched Mr. Fitz spin around as Ms. Sanchez, the secretary, sauntered up behind him. A weird feeling grew in her stomach when she saw the smile that Ms. Sanchez was giving him.

Facing Noel, she interrupted, "Look, Noel, I have to go. My parents want me home to help unpack." She got in her car and drove away.

"Aria how was your first day back?" Ella, her mom, questioned as she walked through the door. Aria walked into the living room to find her mother and father sitting on the sofa watching television.

"Fine."

"Anything interesting happen?" Byron, her father, asked still looking at the television.

Aria thought back to Mr. Fitz. The way he walked around the room with such elegance, the way his blue eyes shined, his rock hard body. She pursed her lips and shook her head, "No." She turned toward the stairs and walked up them. She walked into her room and threw things on the ground by her desk before jumping on her bed and shoving her face into her pillow. Within minutes she was asleep.

**Ezra POV**

The next morning, Ezra awoke with a smile upon his face but it quickly vanished when the dream from last night played in his head. He had dreamed of Aria. Her luscious lips kissing him, her long brown hair surrounding his face. He shook his head quickly to rid himself of the thoughts. He got up and threw on a pair of shorts and light blue sleeveless tank top. Grabbing his Ipod, Ezra headed off for his run.

**Aria POV**

Aria walked into the local coffee shop and looked around at the few people who occupied it. Hanna, Emily, and Spencer had agreed to meet there an hour before school started to chat. She walked up and got her coffee. She had just sat down and taken a sip of her coffee when the door to the shop opened. She choked on the burning liquid when she saw Mr. Fitz walk into the shop. His hair was wet and messed up. He was breathing heavily. He pulled out the headphones in his ear and walked up to the cashier. He smiled at her. She grabbed him a water and smiled at him. He went to get his wallet when she held up her had signaling it was on the house. Aria rolled her eyes and took another sip of her coffee.

Mr. Fitz took a long gulp of the water as he turned around. Pausing slightly, he swallowed slowly before walking up to her.

"Hey," he smiled down at her.

"Hey," she squeaked. She looked away and closed her eyes in embarrassment. She looked back at him only to find him grinning at her. She cleared her throat and asked, "So, uh, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was out for a run and needed some water," he stated motioning to the water in his hands. Aria continued to kick herself at the stupid question she just asked.

"Right," she sighed. She looked at his toned biceps and bit her lip to keep from grinning. She usually found sweaty guys disgusting but with Mr. Fitz it just made him hotter.

"Well, I got to go. Need to take a shower before school. I guess I'll see you later?" Aria thought she heard hope in his voice when he asked the question but she brushed off the thought. Aria nodded. She could have sworn his smile got a little wider. She smiled back. He turned and walked toward the door. She took a sip of her coffee and watched his retreating back. She let her eyes wonder a little further down and bit her lip as she smiled.

She noticed him slightly wave to someone as he walked out the door and looked over. There were her friends just looking at her smiling. She blushed, looked away from them, and sipped her coffee. They got their coffee and walked over.

"So…" Hanna said as she sat down. Aria stared at her. Hanna's eyes bulged out of her head. "What were you two talking about?"

Aria shrugged. "Nothing. I just asked him what he was doing here and he said he was getting a water." She took another sip of her coffee hoping Hanna would drop the subject. No such luck.

"So, how's it look?" she question smugly.

Aria looked at Emily and Spencer in confusion. She peered over at Hanna and furrowed her brow.

Hanna smirked as she responded to my silent question, "His butt? I noticed you looking."

Aria worked her mouth to form an answer. Finally, she did, "I did no such thing!" Hanna pursed her lips and shared a look with the girls. They giggled. Aria couldn't help but smile.

**Ezra POV**

The run back to his apartment was filled with thoughts of Aria. If he didn't know any better, he would say that Aria was checking him out at the coffee shop. He grinned at the thought. The fifteen minute run back to his apartment seemed to fly by and before he knew it he had taken a shower and was picking out his clothing.

Ezra pulled up his black jeans to hang loosely on his waist. He wrapped a belt through the loops of his pants and fastened it. Walking over to his closet, he sifted through his closet for a nice dress shirt. He found a dark purple skin tight shirt and put his arms through the sleeves. Standing in front of the mirror, he buttoned up the front of the shirt. The shirt was so tight, you could make out the outline of his well toned chest. Grabbing the black vest from his closet, he put it on. Looking at the watch on his wrist, he began to rush when he realized he was going to be late. Grabbing a black tie, his coffee, and briefcase, he was out the door.

Just as the bell rung to start the day, Ezra stepped through the doors to his classroom. He closed the door and breathed out the air he didn't realize he had been holding. Looking at his students who were staring back at him, he smiled. He walked to his desk and set down his briefcase. He walked around to the front of his desk and leaned against it.

"Okay, class!" he said clapping his hands together once. "Today, we're going to begin our first novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Can everyone pass the form your parents signed to the front please while I pass out the books?" The rustling of binders being opened and paper being passed sounded throughout the room as he handed the right amount of books to the person in the front row to pass behind them. He gathered the papers from the front row and stuffed them in his briefcase.

The whole class period, he made sure to keep his eyes adverted from Aria. He looked anywhere but her. He knew if he did then he wouldn't be able to turn away. The period seemed to procrastinate longer with each second he didn't look at her. Ezra assigned his student the first three chapters of the book. He allowed them to get started on it in class. He swiftly sat behind his desk and watched his students work.

The looks on their faces told a lot. Some of them had their focused gaze set on the book. A few of those focused faces actually seemed interested while the others just seemed be reading it as punishment. The several students who weren't focused on the book, he assumed, would be the ones to struggle in his class.

The bell rang signaling the end of class. Ezra ran his hand down where his tie was supposed to be and sighed when he remembered he hadn't put it on. He reached into his briefcase and pulled out the tie as students rushed out of his classroom. Standing, he sighed at their eagerness to get away. Was English really that bad? He wrapped the tie around his neck and attempted to tie it without looking in a mirror.

Frustrated, he became forceful with looping the tie. Not paying attention to anything but the tie, he jumped when he felt a hand on his elbow. He looked up startled until he saw it was Aria. Then the butterflies in stomach started acting up again. She smiled at him and motioned for the tie. He let go of the tie and she grabbed them. Clenching his jaw, he peered down at her through frosted eyes as she tied it. As she finished, she looked up and pulled it closer to his neck.

Staring into each others eyes was a mistake. Neither one of them was able to look away. Ezra's breathing became ragged as did Aria's. Her hand lifted away from his tie and softly moved his bangs a little to the sighed. Ezra closed his eyes and swallowed the lump in his throat. She pulled her hand away and just stood in front of him. When he opened his eyes he was faced with an empty classroom. No Aria in sight. Mouth slightly open, he gazed over at the door a let out a breath of air.

**Aria POV**

Aria felt the tingling sensation rise to her face as she stared into Mr. Fitz's eyes. She was going to kiss him. She was determined to. She watched him close his eyes and could see the struggle on his face. He also wanted her to kiss him. Along with that want, she saw fear. Fear of kissing her. What that would mean for him as a person. Him as a teacher.

Suddenly, she realized. If she kissed him, there was no going back. There was no way they'd be able to go back to teacher/student if they kissed. He'd get in trouble most likely. She could tell, in just the two days that she knew him, that he was the type of man that usually didn't do anything wrong. And kissing her would definitely be wrong in his book. More than wrong in fact.

So, she left. Didn't say a word to him or anything. Just left. She walked slowly to her locker. Once she got there, she turned and leaned against it beating her head against it softly. She was thankful her friends weren't around. She couldn't handle one of Hanna's smartass comments at the moment.

She swallowed when she saw him walk to the doorway of his classroom and look at her. He stood there a moment before he softly closed the door. She stared at his door until the bell rang, and she began to rush to gather her belongings for her next period and prepare to receive a tardy slip.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Ezra POV**

Ezra Fitz stared at his reflection in the mirror as he shakily tied his tie. Normally he would tie the tie without a problem whilst standing in front of a mirror but Aria kept popping into his mind every time he went to go tie it. He was getting ready for his date with Maria. He shouldn't be thinking of his student. Closing his eyes, he sighed in frustration. Finally opening his eyes, he steadied his hands enough to tie the knot. He was wearing a white dress shirt with black slacks. Wearing the light blue tie that complimented his eyes nicely, he grabbed his black trench coat that reached just top of his knees and slipped his arms through the sleeves. Checking once more in the mirror, he smiled at his reflection before grabbing his keys, cell, and wallet and slipping out the door.

He parked just outside Maria's apartment and sat in his car. He was determined to keep Aria off his mind for the night and hopefully, if things went well with Maria, for the rest of the school year. With that, he got out and walked up to her door knocking on it twice. Stuffing his hands in his pocket, he turned and faced the road while he waited for the door to open. Once it did, he spun around and his jaw slacked. Maria's long blonde hair was loosely curled. Her black dress that came just above her knee framed her figure very well. Ezra was blinded by the brightness of her eyes. Her blue eyes scanned him as he did her. He grinned. Oh yeah, he shouldn't have one problem keeping his mind off Aria for the night.

"Wow," Ezra said blinking rapidly. She looked down and blushed. Ezra gave her his arm, "Ready to go?" She nodded before grabbing her hand purse from the table beside the door and closing the door behind her. She hooked her arm with his as he led her toward his car. He opened her door for her and then walked around the back of the car looking up at the sky and mouthing "Thank you" before getting into the driver seat.

After ordering their food, Ezra was surprised to find that he and Maria actually had a lot in common. She enjoyed literature almost as much as he did. She had spent some of her time in college in the drama club, starring in plays and musicals. She told him stories of her childhood. About how she used to kick her older brothers ass in basketball. They shared a good laugh when he had told her of some of his strangest relationships.

All too soon, the date was over and they were sitting in his parked car just outside her apartment. She unbuckled her seatbelt but remained seated in the car. She turned to him before saying, "I had a really nice time tonight,"

Ezra smiled and responded, "I did, also." Maria looked out the windshield again. Ezra opened his door and got out and rounded the vehicle to her side, opening the door and extending his hand to help her out. He closed the door, slipped his hands in his pockets, and walked with her to her door. Once they reached her door, she began fiddling with her keys. He touched her elbow causing her to turn to him. He leaned in and planted a quick soft kiss to her lips. He pulled away and blushed as she did. "We should do this again," he stated. "Soon," he continued after a brief pause. She nodded before opening her door and stepping in and closing it behind her. He turned and returned to his car with a grin upon his face.

**Aria POV**

Aria strutted through the entrance to the school and immediately halted when she saw Mr. Fitz flirting with Ms. Sanchez. She saw him kiss her before he sauntered over to his classroom. Aria looked down to keep her emotions in check. "He's not yours, Aria," she silently berated herself. No matter how much she repeated that in her head, the jealously she felt still managed to creep in. She walked into his classroom just before the bell rang.

He looked up at her and smiled. "Morning," he stated softly. She looked away from him with a frown. When she sat down and looked up, his eyes were on her but his smile was long gone. Clenching her jaw, she reached down and grabbed her binder from her bag.

"Hey, Aria! You didn't meet us at your locker as usual. Everything okay?" She looked up and was met with Hanna and Spencer.

Aria closed her eyes for a moment and plastered a fake smile on her face. "Yeah, I'm fine. Where's Em?" she questioned noticing the missing swimmer.

"Sick," Spencer stated. Aria nodded and Spencer and Hanna headed to their assigned seats.

Aria caught herself several times throughout the period zoning out. Not only did she catch herself but so did Mr. Fitz. He called on her several times to answer questions that she hadn't even heard. She could tell by the expression etched on his face that he was concerned. The bell rang and she quickly grabbed her stuff and was almost out the door when she heard his voice asking her to stay behind. She closed her eyes before turning around and walking to his desk. He asked the last person out to close the door.

Aria watched as her friends gave her a knowing look before closing the door behind them. Aria rolled her eyes at the door. She refused to look at him. He stepped out from behind his desk and leaned against the front of it with his arms crossed over his chest. "Is everything okay, Aria?" he questioned softly.

"Why does everybody keep asking that? I'm fine." The hurt in his eyes appeared but Aria wasn't about to feel sorry for her hostility. She had every right to be mad. Then the thought from earlier crept into her mind. "He's not yours, Aria." She closed her eyes and then said, "I'm sorry. I'm fine though. Really," she added when she saw the unbelieving look in his eyes. "Can I go now? I'm going to be late for my next class." He nodded and watched her as she left.

The day seemed to go on forever. Finally, the bell to end the day rang and Aria couldn't have been happier. That is until she had to walk by Mr. Fitz talking with Ms. Sanchez. Suddenly, the jealousy had returned. She slid past them without a word. She patted herself on the back for keeping her thoughts in her head. As Aria put her stuff in her locker, she watched from the corner of her eye as Mr. Fitz smiled his boyish smile at Ms. Sanchez. Aria growled to herself, "What does she have that I don't?"

"Maybe it's the fact that she's of age." Aria shrieked and managed to drop the book she was stuffing in her locker when she heard Hanna's voice behind her. She put her hand to her chest as she closed her eyes to steady her heartbeat. She spun around to face Hanna.

"You scared the shit out of me! Don't sneak up on someone like that!" She could see Mr. Fitz and Ms. Sanchez watching her. She reached down and grabbed her book putting it in her locker before following Hanna and Spencer out of the building.

"Sorry," Hanna mumbled.

Spencer broke the tension with a question, "So, do you guys want to meet up for a coffee in an hour? I need to head home first. My parents are supposed to be getting back from New York." Aria and Hanna both nodded before going their separate ways.

**Ezra POV**

Ezra threw his keys on the table and slipped his jacket off his shoulders and onto the floor. He released a sigh and dropped himself onto his couch leaning back and closing his eyes. Everything had been going great until first period began and Aria wouldn't talk to him. He wasn't sure what he had done. He had managed to avoid thinking about her until the moment she waltzed into his room then, as always, she was all he thought about.

She tried to tell him she was fine when he asked her about it but he could tell she wasn't. He had done something to piss her off. It bothered him that he didn't know what exactly it was that he did. He thought back to the previous day and couldn't think of anything. He thought to before class and suddenly a loud annoying buzzer went off in his head. He harshly closed his eyes. She must have seen him with Maria that morning.

What did he care? He was free to date whomever he wanted. Aria was his student. Nothing more. "Liar," he thought to himself. He sighed in frustration. His head snapped over to his jacket when he heard a beep. Picking his jacket up off the floor, he reached in the pocket to pull out his cell phone. He looked at the caller ID. Maria. He smiled and flipped it open. It was text message.

_Ezra, there's a faculty dinner on Saturday. Date? _

_-Maria_

He quickly typed in his affirmation.

**Aria POV**

"I just don't see why you're so fascinated with him. I mean he's hot, yeah, but you don't even know him." Hanna was sitting across from Aria in the local coffee shop. Spencer had texted earlier to inform them that she wouldn't be able to make it. Apparently, her parents wanted to have a nice family dinner.

Aria rolled her eyes, "Can we talk about something else, please?" She was definitely not in the mood to discuss her crush on her teacher at the moment. Hanna stayed quiet, unsure of what to say. "So, how exactly did this transformation happen?" Aria asked still shocked by the changes in Hanna. She smiled and explained the whole situation.

Aria tried her best to focus on what her friend was saying but found it very difficult. She mentally slapped herself. Why was he always on her mind? She didn't understand the Ms. Sanchez situation either. When she was tying his tie for him, she knew he was using all his self-control to keep himself in check. He felt the same way she did. Or so she thought. She shook herself of the thought only to find Hanna staring at her.

Furrowing her brows together, she sipped her coffee. "Okay, I don't care what you say, we're talking about it." Aria went to protest but Hanna held up her hand to stop her. "You clearly really like the guy. Why?"

Aria opened her mouth to answer only to find she didn't really have one. She didn't know why she felt this way.

Hanna saw that it was taking a while and took it upon herself to answer for her, "You don't know. You know, it's possible this is just a physical attraction. Do you even know the guys first name?" Aria looked down. She didn't. Hanna's phone beeped and she said she had to go home. It annoyed Aria greatly when she looked down at her with pity filled eyes before leaving.

Was it possible that she was only physically attracted to the guy? It felt much deeper than that. Like even though she didn't truly know him, she knew him. To most people that probably wouldn't make sense but to her it did. She tried to shake the thoughts away but failed miserably.

She needed to get him out of her head. She needed someone else to take her mind off of him. She thought about her different possibilities. She knew of some guys that liked her but they weren't her type. She sighed frustrated. She got up with her coffee and headed for the door. She needed to take a long nap.

**Ezra POV**

Saturday came quickly for Ezra. Well, for the most part anyway. The only part of the day when time seemed to want to pass at the pace of a snail was when Aria was around him. Other than that hour and half she was in his class, the past two days flew by. He stood in front of his closet sifting through his wardrobe looking for something to wear. He felt like a girl trying to pick out an outfit. Clothes surround him on the floor from where he tried them on but chose not to wear them. Finally, he settled on your basic black suit with a white dress undershirt and black tie.

After picking up Maria, they headed to the faculty dinner. "So, you know Aria Montgomery?" she asked. Ezra froze and hesitated before saying that he did. He explained that she was in his class. She nodded and said, "Her mother is going to be at this faculty dinner. Ella Montgomery. She's going to be working at Rosewood starting not this coming Monday but the next one." Sitting at a stop light, Ezra closed his eyes.

"Great," he thought to himself, "I think I might like this woman's daughter, my student, and she's going to be my colleague." Ezra didn't say anything for the rest of the car ride.

They mingled with several of the different teachers that Ezra had gotten close to in the past week. Mr. Hamilton, the ninth grade English teacher, walked up to them with a brunette. He didn't even have to introduce her. Ella Montgomery. She and Aria looked a lot alike.

"Ezra, Maria. This is Ella Montgomery. She's going to be teaching U.S. History. Ezra, I believe her daughter is a student of yours. Aria Montgomery?" Ezra shook hands with Ella before responding that he did in fact have Aria as a student. Ella made conversation for a little while before a man came up behind her.

"Oh, this is my husband, Byron. Byron, this is Ezra Fitz." The two men shook hands firmly. Maria had walked off to chat with one of the other secretaries, leaving him to talk with the Montgomery's alone.

"Fitz? As in Aria's English teacher, Mr. Fitz?" Ezra was surprised the man knew him. "Aria talks very highly about you. She tells us that you traveled to Iceland and you're a writer."

"Ah, yeah, well, I'm not a very good writer. And yes, I spent a semester over there. It was very beautiful. The northern lights I saw there were just…wow." Ezra had been fascinated by the northern lights while he was over there. Every night he would go out just in hopes of seeing them.

"Yeah, we couldn't get Aria away from them. She would spend hours out there looking at the northern lights and writing. She didn't want to come back but the rest of us were getting a little homesick."

"Well, who can really blame her, Byron? After what happened with Alison I doubt she really wanted to be here." Ezra's ear perked up at this.

"Alison?" he questioned.

"Alison DiLaurentis?" Ella stated hoping to jog his memory. When he shook his head, saying he had never heard of her, Ella looked surprised. "Hanna Marin, Spencer Hastings, Emily Fields, Aria, and Alison were best friends. They were inseparable. One night they were having a sleepover. The four girls wake up to find Alison missing. She still remains missing as we speak."

Suddenly it dawned on Ezra what Aria was referring to when she said her family had moved to Iceland after something had happened. Her friend had gone missing.

"Well, did the police have any leads?" he questioned, curious.

Byron shook his head, "None. I mean they talked to the neighbors and the girls but that was just procedure." Ezra nodded his head in understanding.

Feeling a hand on his back, he turned around and faced Maria. "Hey, sorry to interrupt but I'm not feeling well. Do you think you could take me home now?"

Ezra, concerned, said, "Yeah, sure. You okay?" she nodded. He turned back to Ella and Byron but before he could say anything, they ushered for him to go and walked over to another group of teachers.

**Aria POV**

Aria was sitting at her desk, doing some writing as she waited for her parents to come home. She looked up when she heard the front door open and close softly. She stood up and bounded down the stairs. She met them in the kitchen.

"Hey! How was the dinner?" she questioned as she poured herself a glass of water.

"Fine. Oh, hey, we met Mr. Fitz." Her father looked over at her when he heard the glass drop into the sink. She quickly grabbed it and checked for cracks before turning to her father.

"You did?" Aria's eyes widened. "What did you guys talk about?"

"Not much. Iceland and Alison mostly." Aria's smiled faltered slightly when her parents mentioned Alison. "You know, he didn't even know about her disappearance. I figured everyone in this town knew about that." Aria nodded.

"Well, I'm glad you guys had fun. I'm tired so I think I'll just head to bed. Night!" She yelled as she walked away. She faintly heard her parents respond. She fell onto her bed and beat her head into the pillow. They had told him about Alison. Now, he's going to feel sorry for and think of her the same way everyone else at Rosewood did. As the girl who's friend was murdered. Soon, sleep overtook Aria.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Ezra POV**

Maria had talked Ezra into going to church with her on Sunday morning. Ezra sat through the service trying desperately to keep his eyes open. Growing up, Ezra never really went to church. His family was Christian but Sunday, for them, was more of a relaxing day at home filled with family time. Sunday was the day they would sleep in until about one o'clock, eat brunch, and then spend the rest of the day playing games and watching television. He'd been to church a few times but never really stuck with it. Now he remembered why. Yeah, church was about honoring God but why did they have to make it so boring?

After managing to stay awake during the service, Ezra was more than happy to be stepping out of the church and into the coolness of fall. He was standing outside waiting for Maria to finish her conversation with Reverend Ackard, when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Ezra!" Ella called. Turning around with a smile on his face, it slightly faltered when he caught sight of Aria clad in a black dress. She was beautiful. Ezra was thankful for the dark sunglasses shading his eyes for he couldn't seem to keep his eyes off Aria. Aria couldn't seem to keep her eyes off him either. The seductive smile that graced her lips seemed to make his smile brighter. "I didn't know you went to church here!"

"Actually, I don't. Maria Sanchez, the secretary from Rosewood High, invited me to come with her." Ezra saw the smile suddenly fall from Aria's lips as she looked to her right. He could be mistaken but he could have sworn he saw her eyes roll.

"Ah, yes. The girl you were with at the faculty dinner." Clenching his jaw, Ezra nodded. Aria looked back at him and bit her lip. He saw the sadness in her eyes but also a hint of jealousy was hidden in there, as well.

"Ezra?" Maria came up to him from behind the Montgomery's. Aria visibly tensed as the sound of her voice. Suddenly, Ezra felt bad.

"We should go," he heard Aria whisper to her mother. Ella scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion as she looked at Aria. She looked at him with sad eyes before looking away. Ella must have caught on because she hastily said her goodbye's before walking off.

Maria and Ezra spent the day together at his apartment watching The Golden Girls reruns but Ezra couldn't seem to focus his mind on the show. His mind kept wandering to the look on Aria's face when she saw Maria on his arm. If Ezra didn't know about her feelings for him, he sure did now. That look said it all.

**Aria POV**

Ezra. His name was Ezra Fitz. Aria smiled as she walked to the car with her family. She felt someone grab her arm holding her back. She turned her head to the side to see her mom smiling softly at her.

"What was that about?" she questioned knowingly, motioning back to where Mr. Fitz and Ms. Sanchez stood. Aria looked over and then looked down.

"I don't know what you mean," she replied innocently. Her mother raised an eyebrow and gave her a pointed look. Aria sighed, defeated. "It was nothing," she whispered.

"Aria…" her mother spoke softly.

"Can-Can we go, please?" Aria interrupted. Before Ella could answer, Aria bounded for the car. Ella followed slowly.

"Ezra seems like a nice guy. Are he and Maria dating?" Her father asked, completely oblivious to Aria's feelings, as they headed home. Ella softly smacked him in the arm and silently shook her head when he looked at her. He gave her a confused look but kept his mouth shut which Aria was grateful for.

Aria thought back to all the times she had seen Mr. Fitz and Ms. Sanchez together. He was always smiling. Happy. Aria made a decision in that moment. She would forget about him. Stop dreaming about him kissing her. Holding her. He was her teacher. Nothing more.

Aria sat at her desk in her room working on a story she had been writing for a while now when she got a text. Opening the message, she read:

_Hey! I need some retail therapy. BAD. Want to go shopping with me? Meet hot guys?(;_

_-Hanna_

Aria tapped her thumbs on the keyboard in thought. Maybe she needed some retail therapy. Help get over Mr. Fitz. She smiled to herself as she typed back that she would love to.

"Ooooh, this would look soo good on you!" Hanna shrieked pointing out a purple halter top.

"Han, my credit card is going to have heart attack after I pay for all this!" Aria whined. She knew she shouldn't have gone shopping with Hanna. She was one of those girls that would buy everything in the store if she could.

"But this would look soo good on you! It'll help get your mind off Fitz…" she toyed. Aria snatched the top out of her hands and slung it over her arm along with the other clothes Hanna had talked her into buying.

Finally, they left the store with Aria having spent well over four hundred dollars. Her parents were going to kill her when they received the credit card bill. They made their way to the food court to grab a bite to eat. Standing in line at the pizza place, Hanna leaned toward Aria.

"Aria!" she whispered rather loudly. Aria faced her. "You see that guy over there?" she motioned with her head in the direction of a blonde hair boy standing in line for the Chinese place. Aria nodded.

"I saw him in a few of the stores we've been in."

"So have I. He's been checking you out." Aria looked over at Hanna in confusion.

"No he has not," she stated, unbelievingly. Aria looked back at him only to see him quickly turn away from her. Aria peered over at Hanna who was smirking as if to say 'Ha! Told you!' Aria rolled her eyes.

After getting their food, they found a place to sit. Aria had just taken her first bite of pizza when she felt a sudden pain hit her shin.

"Ow!" Aria screamed, spitting out her pizza. She reached down and rubbed her shin. "What was that for?" she asked incredulously. Hanna's eyes bulged but before Aria could say anything she felt a shadow swallow her from behind.

Turning, Aria was met with a pair of bright blue eyes and a white smile to match. "Uh, hi," he growled. His sensual deep voice sent chills down her spine.

"Hi," she whispered back smiling. She bit her bottom lip. His eyes drifted downward to her lips briefly before meeting her eyes again.

"I'm Clark." He reached out his hand. Taking it, Aria told him her name. Instead of shaking her hand though, He brought it up to meet his lips. Aria blushed as he kissed her knuckles softly. He grinned down at her. Hanna cleared her throat. Aria quickly brought her hand down and turned back to her friend. Clark's eyes wandered over to Hanna.

"I'm Hanna." She said, reaching out her hand. He simply shook her hand which caused Aria to smirk at her friend. Hanna looked back at her and raised an eyebrow. "I haven't seen you before. You new in town?"

"Yes I am. I just moved here from Virginia. Tomorrow will be my first day at Rosewood High." Hanna's eyes glowed in delight.

"That's where we go. We'd be happy to show you around if you'd like. Right Aria?" Aria turned back to him and nodded.

He peered down at her, grin still on his face. "That'd be great," he said quietly. With that, he turned and started walking away glancing back every few steps.

"He is soooo into you!" Hanna instantly remarked. Aria turned back to her and smirked before picking up her pizza.

**Ezra POV**

Ezra was walking through the halls of Rosewood High in search of Hanna Marin. She had failed to turn in an assignment and he felt the need to remind her to turn it in. He found her by her locker and began walking over to her but stopped suddenly when he saw Aria and a boy saunter over to her. Aria was glowing. The boy stood too close to Aria for Ezra's liking. He clenched his jaw in jealousy.

"She's not yours, Ezra," he said to himself. He decided to continue on his mission. He strutted up to them. "Hanna," he stated grimly. She turned to him and raised her eyebrows.

"Yes, Mr. Fitz?'

"Do you have that assignment for me today?" Ezra kept stealing glances over at Aria who was doing the same to him. The boy was still standing too close to Aria but Ezra kept the comment to himself.

"Yes sir. I'll give it to you in class, if that's okay.' Ezra nodded before trudging back to his classroom. The sudden jealousy that came over him surprised him greatly. Aria was his student. He was dating Maria.

As first period went by, Ezra made sure to keep his eyes away from Aria. The boy, come to find out, was also in that class. His name was Clark and he just moved here from Virginia. He made sure he got the seat right beside Aria. Ezra found it very difficult to concentrate when he could clearly see the two of them passing notes. Every time Aria read a note she would smile.

With thirty minutes left of class, Ezra gave them a writing assignment. He decided over the weekend that a free write was going to be due every Friday for the remainder of the semester. Some were to be read out loud while others were to turn in. He passed out the schedule for when ones were oral or written before telling them to get started on the first one which was due this Friday.

Ezra was grading some papers when he heard the familiar laughter coming from the back of the classroom causing him to look up. Clark had scooted over next to Aria. He had his hand resting on her thigh and he was leaning in close, whispering in her ear. She was biting her lip and smiling at him seductively. Ezra was thankful for the bell when it sounded.

"Aria, can I talk to you for a second?" he hollered before she could leave. She whispered something to Clark before walking up to his desk. He waited until everyone had left before he said anything. "I'd appreciated if you didn't grope or get groped in my class," he stated harshly. Probably too harshly.

Aria scrunched up her eyebrows and clenched her jaw. "Yes sir," she mocked before storming out of his classroom. Ezra sighed. Plopping down in his chair, he set his elbows on his desk and put his head in his hands.

**Aria POV**

To say Aria was angry was an understatement. He had no right to be angry with her. She stalked over to her locker, throwing her books into it.

"Hey," she heard Clark say behind her. She smiled and turned to face him. "So, I was wondering something. Would you like to go out to dinner with me tonight?"

"As in a date?" she questioned sexily.

He pretended to think, "I believe that's what they call it." He grinned down at her. She nodded before closing her locker, blowing him a kiss, and skipping to her next class. Just as she turned to skip off, she caught Mr. Fitz's eye in the doorway of his classroom and knew right away he had seen the interaction between her and Clark. Staring him down, she walked right past him without a word. He swallowed as his nostrils flared.

When Aria got home that evening, she immediately ran upstairs to sift through her closet. She found a tight blue strapless dress she had bought with Hanna the day before. She reapplied her make up and fixed up her hair. By the time she was done getting ready, the doorbell rang. Instantly, she smiled and bolted down the stairs before her parents could get off the couch.

She smiled as she saw Clark standing there with a single red rose. His white teeth seemed to shine brighter today than they did yesterday. He looked her up and down. Aria raised an eyebrow.

"That for me?" she asked pointing to the rose.

He jumped and held the rose out to her. "Uh, yes. This is for you." He blushed slightly. Grinning, she took it and set it on the table beside the door. She grabbed her purse and followed him to the car. He opened the door for her and they were on their way.

"Where we going?" she asked softly when she noticed they were headed away from the city.

"You'll see," he responded softly. Aria looked out her window at the trees going by and sighed. Before long they came to a stop. Aria looked around. They were in the middle of nowhere. "Come on," he said as he cut the engine and got out of the truck. He reached into the storage box in the bed of the truck and pulled out a picnic basket.

Aria chuckled. "A picnic?" she questioned. He smirked and led the way to a clearing.

When they got to the clearing, Aria's breath was taken away. The view was magnificent. You could see all of Rosewood covered by the blanket of darkness from the night with only a few lights shining through. The stars lit up the sky as did the crescent moon.

"Wow," she whispered to herself.

Clark came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her abdomen, surprising her. As he rested his chin on her shoulder, she turned her head slightly to look at him. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" he spoke softly while staring into her eyes. She nodded as she looked at his lips. Sticking his tongue out to lick his lips, he inched closer to her face. She did the same until the two met in a chaste kiss. Aria pulled back slightly before leaning in and kissing him again only more sensual. She turned in his arms, lips still connected, and wrapped her arms around his neck as she deepened the kiss. She pulled away and rested her head on his shoulder as she looked up at the sky once more. She smiled. It couldn't get better than this.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Ezra POV**

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday went by fairly quickly. Ezra noticed the change in Aria. She didn't seem to be as flirty with him ever since Monday when he had seen her with Clark. He didn't feel her eyes on him when he paced back and forth at the front of the classroom like he used to. She was too enthralled with Clark. Ezra hated to admit it but he was missing that. He knew it was wrong, especially since he's dating Maria, but he couldn't help it.

His first period class filed in as the bell rang on Friday morning. Ezra was actually anxious to hear everyone's free writes. He was especially looking forward to hearing Aria's. Not only her story but her voice.

After the morning announcements, Ezra turned to the class. "Okay, so today is free write day!" he grinned excitedly. Groans were heard throughout the room. His eyes landed on Aria. She was smiling excitedly. He figured she would be. Her eyes connected with his and her smile faltered. He gave her genuine smile which she returned before looking away. That brought his hopes back up. Hopes? He should not be hoping his student will go back to flirting with him.

Shaking the thoughts from his mind, he addressed the class once more, "Anyone want to go first?" Before Aria could stick her hand up, Spencer's shot up. Ezra nodded to her before walking to the back of the classroom. He gave Aria an apologetic smile as he passed and leaned down next to her ear. "You can go next," he whispered huskily. She swallowed and nodded numbly. He continued to the desk behind her and sat down to face the front where Spencer now stood with her paper.

When Spencer finished, everyone who was awake clapped. Ezra clapped his hands loudly to get everyone up. He stood and put his hand on Aria's shoulder. "Aria, you're next." She looked up at him with delightful eyes. She smiled at him as she stood. He slowly removed his hand from her shoulder as she walked to the front of the class. He caught himself looking at her butt as it shook from side to side and cleared his throat before sitting back down.

Suddenly, she looked nervous. She kept glancing at him before averting her eyes to the rest of the classroom. Looking down at the paper in her hands, she began,

_Falling For You_

_Glances are all we share in a crowded room._

_Your eyes say so much._

_I feel myself falling. _

_Falling into the abyss of your eyes._

_My heart is torn between what is right and what is wrong._

_You're with her._

_I'm with him._

_But yet,_

_I'm falling for you._

Ezra stared at her as she spoke. In between lines, she would meet his eyes during that brief pause before looking down and continuing. When she was done everyone clapped. Ezra couldn't move. Blushing, Aria sauntered back to her desk, her eyes never leaving Ezra.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ezra saw Clark clench his jaw. Ezra faintly heard someone offer to go next as she took her seat. He nodded, looking at the back of Aria's head. He couldn't focus on the readers. All he could think about was Aria's poem.

Was she talking about him? Is that really how she felt? He was surprised at how much it mirrored his own feelings. Now, he was even more confused as to what to do. He liked Maria. She was beautiful, caring, intelligent, and everything he was looking for in a woman. So, why was he so drawn to Aria?

He wasn't able to finish his thoughts before the bell rang. Clearing his throat, he stood up and asked, "Was there anyone who was not able to read theirs?" A few kids raised their hands and he told them they'd read theirs on Monday morning. "Aria? Can I talk to you for a minute?" Aria nodded and watched as Clark stalked out of the classroom. Looking down, she took a deep breath as she waited for everyone to leave before trudging up to his desk.

"What's up?" she questioned innocently. Ezra looked her in the eyes to gauge whether or not he should say something. She refused to look him in the eye.

Sighing, Ezra softly asked, "You want to talk about your poem?" Snapping her head up, Aria's eyes widened and her lips parted in surprise. She didn't say anything. Just looked at him. "What-Who was it about?" he asked, hoping to get her to open up to him.

Aria looked down. Ezra didn't think she was going to respond and was greatly surprised when she looked up at him with determination her eyes. "Who do you think?" One eyebrow raised, she tilted her head to the side.

Ezra raised both his eyebrows at her boldness. Pursing his lips, he sighed closing his eyes. "Aria…"

"Look, let's just forget it, okay?" Aria bit her lip.

"I don't think I can," he said honestly.

"Why?" she whined. "It was a stupid poem. I shouldn't have even read it out loud. I was stupid."

Ezra quickly looked up at her and scrunched his eyebrows together in disbelief. "You are not stupid. It was brave to put yourself out there."

"A lot good that did me," she whispered.

Ezra looked down, not sure what to say. The bell rang. Groaning, Aria headed for the door. Pausing with her hand on the doorknob, she said without turning, "You. It was about you." With that, she left.

**Aria POV**

Aria knew he was aware it was about him. It just felt really good to say it out loud. She quickly slipped into the bathroom and leaned against the door to a stall. She was supposed to be in second period but after the class she just endured she did not feel like going to History class.

She told him. She actually told him. Even after talking to him, she was still unsure of whether or not it was good that she had told him. Would he look at her differently? She had completely forgotten about Clark while she was writing that poem. In fact, she completely forgot about him until after she read it and saw the hurt etched on his face.

After the bell to end second period sounded, Aria walked to her car. She wasn't going to be able to concentrate on any of her classes now. Getting in her car, she took off. She drove home, hoping neither one of her parents were home and was thankful when they weren't. She walked through the front door, dropped her stuff onto the couch, skipped over to the stereo and hooked her IPod up to it. Her favorite song, Only You by Josh Kelley softly played until she turned the volume up so it could be heard throughout the neighborhood.

Aria was in the kitchen fixing herself something to eat when the doorbell rang. Curious as to who would be at her house at this time of day, she peeked behind the curtain beside the door. She pulled away eyes wide when she saw Mr. Fitz standing at her door. Closing her eyes, she reached for the doorknob and opened the door. Mr. Fitz looked up at her and squinted as the music filled his ears.

"What are you doing here?" she yelled. He pointed to his ears and shook his head. Aria sighed and ran over to the stereo, turning it down. She turned to walk back to the door and halted when she saw Mr. Fitz was standing in her living room not far behind her. "What are you doing here?" she reiterated.

"I'm not really sure." He strode over to a few pictures that were hanging on the wall and smiled. She smiled at the memories each picture held. "Is this you?" He was pointing at a picture of when she was about ten. The picture showed her in a cheerleading uniform with pompoms in each of her hands and she was jumping up with her knees hooked under her. She quickly walked over to him and snatched the picture off the wall. "What? It was cute!" Aria shook her head and blushed.

"That was a long time ago. I hate cheerleading."

"Didn't look like it to me," he mocked.

Squinting at him, she rephrased, "I hate cheerleading, now. I liked it then. I don't know why."

He was quiet for a moment. She looked up from her shoes that she had been staring at only to see him continuing his scan of the wall. He grunted as he picked up a picture of Aria and her four friends before Alison went missing off the top of the TV stand.

"Is this Alison?" he asked softly. Aria nodded silently. "You're parents told me what happened. How are you doing with being back here?"

Aria stared at him. "Fine." Mr. Fitz raised an eyebrow not believing her. Aria sighed. "It was a long time ago," she whispered, staring at the picture still in his hand. He set the picture back down and turned to her.

"It was a year ago." He stated. Suddenly, she realized how close they were. He was towering over her. The smell of his aftershave invaded her nostrils. "What was she like?" he asked completely oblivious to how close they were.

Aria chose her words carefully. "Manipulative," she settled on. Mr. Fitz looked at her completely confused. Aria smirked slightly. "Sometimes…Sometimes it was hard being friends with Ali," Aria paused. "If she knew one of your secrets, she made sure to hang it over your head." Aria was lost in the memory of the day she and Alison had come across her father and a woman at Hollis College, the school her dad taught at. Aria thought nothing of it until she saw them kiss. Until the day she went missing, Alison held that over her head.

"What did she hang over your head?" he questioned bringing her out of her thoughts. Aria went to answer when she heard a ding from the kitchen. She smiled apologetically before walking into the kitchen with him hot on her heels.

"Is this why you're here? To ask about Alison?" she asked him as she pulled her lunch out of the oven. She looked at him.

"Uh, no. I thought we should talk about your poem and your…feelings." She could tell he was nervous. So was she, suddenly. Aria nodded slowly. She continued to look at him.

"Only my feelings?" She hoped he would tell her how he felt.

"Aria…I can't…" he didn't finish. His cell phone rang interrupting him. Sighing, he pulled it out of his pocket. Aria watched him as he looked at the caller ID. He flipped it open and put it to his ear. "Maria." He stated.

**Ezra POV**

"_Hey, the principle said you went home early. Everything okay?" _he heard Maria say on the other end of his phone. Aria's face visibly dropped when she heard who he was talking to. Leaving him in the kitchen to finish the conversation privately, she headed back into the living room.

His eyes followed her as he answered Maria, "Yeah, I just wasn't feeling well. I'll be fine though. In fact, I'm already feeling better." He prayed to God Maria wouldn't head over to his apartment on her lunch break and find out he was lying.

"_Oh okay. Well, I'll let you go. Hope you feel better. Love you." _Ezra heard her end the call but was too shocked to pull the phone from his ear. She loved him? What? Slowly, he pulled the phone from his ear. Making his way into the living room, he slipped the phone back into his pocket. He plopped down on the couch beside Aria and kept his eyes forward still in shock.

"You okay?" she asked him taking a bite of her Philly cheese steak. He nodded his head. He saw her eyebrows rise from the corner of his eye and his nod slowly turned into a shake of his head.

"Maria just said she loved me," he stated emotionless. Aria visibly tensed. She nodded her head curtly.

"Oh." He looked over at her. She had lain her sandwich down on the table beside the couch. Her feet were tucked under her. Ezra just stared until she turned her head and looked at him. Suddenly, he was filled with confidence. Quickly, without hesitation, he moved his head toward her. Her eyes widened as his lips softly touched hers for a moment.

Ezra didn't pull away from her but he stopped kissing her and just stared into her eyes. She was thinking. He could tell from the clouded look in her eyes. Suddenly, her lips were on his again. Tenderly, she kissed him a few times.

Ezra's brain suddenly clicked back on and he instantly pulled away, mouth agape, in shock of his actions. He worked his mouth as Aria closed her eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he got up and left.

**Aria POV**

Aria opened her tear filled eyes to an empty room. The tears silently fell from her eyes as she looked up. Sniffing, she wiped the tears away but only more fell. She untucked her knees from under her and pulled them to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and sitting her head down on her knees. She faintly heard Fearless by Colbie Caillat playing from the stereo as she let the tears fall.

She didn't realize how long she stayed like that until she heard the front door open and close. "Aria?" she heard her mother question. When Aria looked up, her mother blew out a breath and went into the kitchen. A few minutes later she came out with a tub of Oreo ice cream and two spoons. Aria smiled softly as her mother sat next to her and handed her a spoon. "You want to talk about it?" Aria shook her head silently. Ella didn't say another word.

**So, I would just like to take the time to thank everyone for the wonderful reviews(= When I was writing this, I didn't even realize that Maria was just Aria with an M until ****Iceyhearted**** mentioned it in a review. Haha. Also, the songs Only You by Josh Kelley and Fearless by Colbie Caillat are beautiful songs. They fit well with the story but you don't have to know them. Well, once again, thank you for the reviews and I'll be sure to post chapter 6 as quickly as possible(=**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Ezra POV**

That wasn't what Ezra planned. Getting Aria's address out of her school file had been a mistake. Going to her house had been a mistake. Kissing her had been a mistake. Except, it didn't feel like a mistake. It surprised him how well their lips fit together. He sat in his car outside his apartment unable to gather the energy to get out. Putting both hands at the top of the steering wheel, he touched his forehead to them and sighed.

Ezra jumped at the sound of knocking. He looked to his left, outside his window to see Maria standing there flushed. Finally, Ezra got out.

"Hey," Maria said quietly. "I thought you were sick. You should be upstairs in bed." Nodding, Ezra allowed her to lead him up to his apartment. She made him sit on the couch as she prepared him a bowl of chicken noodle soup. Silence filled the room except for the sound of the microwave heating the soup. He watched as she sifted through the drawers until she pulled out a spoon from the corner drawer. She handed him the bowl of soup and sat on the arm of the chair sitting diagonally across from him.

Ezra took a bite as he watched her. Looking down at her fiddling hands she stated, "Listen, about what I said on the phone. About loving you? I-That was just a habit. We practically just met…" she had looked up halfway through her rant. Ezra held up his hand to stop her.

"I was going to say the same thing to you. I like you. I really do. I haven't known you long enough to be comfortable enough to say that I love you." A look of relief flooded her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked when the grave look appeared on his face. Ezra looked up at her. He felt bad. He had cheated on her. It was only a kiss but it was still cheating in his mind. He couldn't tell her that though. She'd ask questions about who he kissed and if he told her it was one of his students she would surely turn him into the principle and he'd be fired. He had put to much hard work into becoming a teacher to ruin it just because of a physical attraction to a student.

"Nothing. Just still not feeling the best," He gave her a small smile. They sat in silence as he finished his soup. When he was done, she looked at the clock and said it was getting late and that she should leave. "No, stay. Please?" he surprised himself at what exactly he was offering and judging by her face so was she. The shocked look on her face was soon replaced by a smile. She nodded and bit her lip. Smiling back, he stood and held his hand out to her. After she took it, he led her to his bed at the back of the room.

**Aria POV**

Clark sat in the chair at her desk watching her lay on the bed with pencil and paper. Without looking up from her writing, Aria grinned stating, "Stop watching me. It's creepy."

"Well, you're going to have to get over it because I like watching you. You're to beautiful not to look at." She glanced up at his charming smile before looking back down at her paper.

"You're supposed to be working on your English paper that's due Friday." Hearing him grunt, Aria looked up. "What?" she questioned. He shook his head and turned back to the desk. Aria got off the bed and walked up behind him wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her chin on his shoulder. He smiled softly and turned his head to face her. She planted a tender kiss to his lips and smiled.

"What was up with your poem yesterday?" he asked. The smile dropped from her face. She quickly recovered and her brain rushed to come up with an explanation.

"I have an ex-boyfriend back in Iceland who I still have feelings for." She saw the hurt in his eyes and quickly continued, "Hey, I like you. A lot. But you have to understand that I was with the guy for a long time. It's going to be very difficult to get over him." She gave him a small smile which he returned. "You've got nothing to worry about though. My ex and I are in two completely different places and seeing two completely different people."

Clark's blue eyes shown as he leaned in and kissed her again before returning to his paper. She tried to peek around him to see what he was writing but he made sure to cover it up with his arm.

"What are you writing?" she asked curiosity getting the best of her. He turned his head and just looked at her with a conniving smile before turning back to his paper wordlessly. Aria huffed and went back to lie on her bed. They worked in silence until her mother showed up in the doorway and cleared her throat.

Aria looked up and smiled. "Hey, mom." Standing, Aria pointed to Clark who was now standing as well. "Uh, this is Clark, my boyfriend. Clark, this is my mother."

Ella smiled and shook his hand politely. "Nice to meet you, Clark."

He nodded and smiled.

"Well, I was going to ask if you wanted to go see a movie but you have company." Ella turned her attention back to Aria.

Clark spoke up, "I actually have to go. We have some family coming into town and I promised my mother I would help her clean up the house and unpack the few boxes that are left." He stepped closer to Aria and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll call you later, okay?" she nodded. He turned and walked past Ella with a curt nod which she returned.

After he had passed her, Ella looked at Aria with raised eyebrows and a wide smile. "He's cute." Aria grinned and blushed. "Not as cute as Mr. Fitz but still cute." Aria's smile fell instantly and her eyes filled with ice.

"Mr. Fitz isn't all that," she snapped coldly. Ella raised her eyebrows in surprise before squinting at her. Aria looked away and clenched her jaw. "So what movie are we going to see?" Aria asked avoiding the Ezra Fitz subject. Ella's smile returned.

"Dirty Dancing is playing at Rosewood Theater."

"Don't we have that movie?" Aria questioned. "Not to mention we've seen it a dozen times on TV."

Ella tilted her head in a disapproving manner. "It's not the same and you know it." Aria smiled and shook her head looping her arm with her mothers as they headed downstairs. "Besides, a chance to see Patrick Swayze on the big screen? Yeah, I'm not missing that." Ella looked at Aria with raised eyebrows which she returned with a smirk.

**Ezra POV**

Ezra opened his eyes Sunday morning to the brightness of the sun. Burying his head deeper into his pillow, he reached out a hand to his side. Feeling the coldness of the sheet, he lifted his head and squinted in the direction of where Maria once was. He looked around the room but she was nowhere in sight.

"Maria?" he called. Suddenly, the door to his bathroom opened.

"Morning, handsome," she grinned at him with a toothbrush sticking out of her mouth. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Whose toothbrush?" he questioned.

"Mine. I keep a travel case and a change of clothes in my car just in case of an emergency," she said after she spit into the sink. She rinsed the toothbrush off before putting it in a baggy. Ezra leaned back on his elbows and scanned her body with his eyes. She was wearing his robe. It looked a lot better on her than it did him.

"And the robe?" he asked seductively. She smirked at him and strutted up to the end of the bed before climbing up on top of him. She leaned down and kissed him. He deepened it and wrapped his arms around her pulling her down. She pulled away.

"I have to get ready. I have to be at the church in an hour."

Ezra opened his mouth as she got off the bed. "Uh, listen, I know you like going to church and all but…"

"You don't have to go," she yelled from the bathroom.

"Thank you!" he whispered loudly as he fell back onto his back and stared at the ceiling. A few minutes later, she walked out as she hooked an earring in her earlobe. She waltzed over to him and leaned down to lightly kiss him on the mouth.

"I have to go. I'll see you later." He nodded and smiled at her. He drifted back to sleep as he heard the door softly close.

A buzzing sound woke him up about two hours later. He sat up letting the sheet glide down his bare torso as he reached over to the nightstand to grab his phone. Flipping it open, he smiled when he saw it was a text from Maria.

_I have a meeting at work. I'll be by afterwards if that's okay._

_-Maria_

_No problem. I'll be waiting(;_

_-Ezra_

He slid out of the bed and hurried to the bathroom feeling a very uncomfortable breeze. He came out a short while later with a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair dripping wet. He grabbed another towel and rubbed it over his hair, messing it up. He looked over at his phone as it beeped. He threw the towel on the floor and picked it up.

_Good to see you're texting is getting quicker=P_

_-Maria_

He chuckled before closing it and tossing it back onto the nightstand. Ezra pulled out a pair of dark grey jeans and slipped them on. Then he walked to his closet and pulled out a dark teal button down shirt. Leaving it unbuttoned, he whipped out a black belt and slipped it through the loops of his jeans and buckled it. Nodding at himself in the mirror as he buttoned his shirt, he walked into the kitchen and began preparing a meal.

It was about six o'clock when Maria finally returned to his apartment. He opened the door and ushered her in. Shock filled her face as he slid the jacket off her shoulders and hung it over the back of the sleeper chair. She smiled at him in awe of the sight before her. There was a table for two set up in the middle of his living room with a single candle in the center. Hand on the small of her back, he guided her over to the table and pulled her chair out for her and then headed back to his kitchen to grab their dinner.

**Aria POV**

Aria had just gotten out of church when she got a phone call from Clark. She walked away from her family with a smile on her face as she took the call. A few minutes later she returned to them and announced she was going over to his house to meet his family. She went home with her family to change. She slipped on a white crochet mini skirt that rested in the middle of her thigh with a black weaved belt. She then put on a pink and white striped shirt with a soft V-neckline, crochet back, and flutter dolman sleeves. She pulled her long brown hair over to the right side. She went to her jewelry box and pulled out several white, silver, pink, and black bracelets out and slipped them on her wrist. She then pulled out her silver chain with a small silver cross on it and clipped it around her neck.

Looking at herself once in the mirror, she took a deep breath. She was going to meet Clark's family. Would they like her? She hoped so. She was really beginning to fall for him. He was able to keep Mr. Fitz off her mind. She mentally slapped herself as soon as he entered her mind. She had made a promise to herself that she would forget about him and devote her attention to Clark. She smiled into the mirror to make sure she looked decent and then grabbed her black purse before heading out the door.

As she turned onto Clark's street, she felt her stomach begin to do little flip flops. Clark hadn't mentioned his family at all in the week she had known him. She had only known him for a week? It seemed like she'd known him forever. She shook her head and breathed out a small chuckle as she pulled into his driveway. She cut the engine and stepped out. She looked up at the house from behind her black Gucci sunglasses and smiled. The door opened as she walked up the steps to it and Clark stepped out smiling as usual. She grinned back at him as she stood on her tippy toes and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.

"You ready?" he asked quietly.

Slipping her sunglasses on top of her head, she nodded. He put his hand on the small of her back and led her through the doorway closing the door behind them.

"Mother!" he yelled out into the house. A woman in her mid-thirties rushed out from the kitchen.

Grinning, she reached out a hand to Aria. "You must be Aria. It's so nice to meet you! Clark, here, as told me a lot about you! Please, come on in. Dinner is almost ready." Aria smiled and shook her hand graciously. Clark laced his hand in hers and led her into the kitchen.

While they ate dinner, Aria noticed someone was missing. "Where's your dad?" she asked Clark. Clark froze, fork almost to his mouth. He looked at his mother before slowly biting the steak off the fork.

"Um, he's not really in our lives at the moment," he stated being very vague. Aria noticed but continued to eat.

They ate in silence for a while before Clark's mother cleared her throat. "So, Aria, what do your parents do for a living?"

Aria quickly chewed the food in her mouth and swallowed before answering. "Well, my dad is a professor at Hollis College and my mother will be teaching at Rosewood starting tomorrow. She's going to be a U.S History teacher." Aria was proud of her parents. They both did something they loved. "How about you, Ms. Riley? What do you do?"

"Oh, I'm a real estate agent." She smiled. Aria nodded. Once again, silence came over them. It stayed like that for the remainder of the dinner. After dinner, Aria looked at the clock and realized it was getting late.

"I should get going. I have to get up early for school. Thank you so much for having me, Ms. Riley. The dinner was delicious." Aria shook the woman's hand once more before Clark walked her to the door.

"Thanks for inviting me. You're mom seems very lovely."

Clark smiled before kissing her. Aria gave a small wave and turned to head to her car. She got in and leaned back in her seat and smiled. She was truly falling for the guy and it felt great. Biting her lip in bliss, Aria started the car and drove home.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Ezra POV**

"Aria, can I see you after class? I wanted to talk to you about your free write from Friday." Aria was standing at her locker with her friends when Ezra walked up behind her. From the corner of his eye he saw her friends give each other a look. Ignoring it, he raised his eyebrows waiting for a reply.

Her back still to him, she stated simply, "Can't." Ezra opened his mouth to ask why when Clark walked up to them.

"Everything okay?" he questioned. Clark stepped in front of Ezra. Aria turned around for the first time since Ezra walked up to her and she still completely ignored him. She looked up at Clark with a smile spread across her face before standing up on her tippy toes and lightly pecking him on the lips. Ezra cleared his throat.

"Yeah, everything is fine," Aria spoke up. She glanced over at Ezra. He practically froze from the icy stare. Ezra bit the inside of his cheek before sighing and walking to his classroom.

The shrill of the bell sounded throughout the school and the hustling of kids could be heard in the hallway. Ezra didn't bother looking up from grading a few papers until the morning announcements had come to a conclusion. He gave them silent work for the whole period making the excuse that he didn't feel well enough to give a lecture.

"Mr. Riley. This is silent work. That includes passing notes to Ms. Montgomery," he barked when he saw a piece of paper being passed between the two. Clark looked back down at his work sheepishly while Aria clenched her jaw and gave him a cold stare which he returned. Ezra broke eye contact when the door opened.

A smile broke out on his face as Maria appeared in the doorway. She bit her lip and smiled back, motioning with her head for him to join her outside. Leaving Spencer in charge of the class while he was outside, he stepped out. She closed the door quietly and turned to face him.

"So, I just wanted to let you know that a close friend of my fathers has passed away so I will be heading back to Ohio for a week or so to help him through it."

The smile slowly fell from Ezra's face. Blinking rapidly, he opened his mouth but uttered no words. Closing his eyes, he found the words, "So, um, when-when do you leave?" he bit down lightly on the end of his tongue as he waited for a goodbye.

Maria looked down and whispered, "This afternoon. One o'clock. The principle said I could take the rest of the day off so I figured I'd catch an early flight." Ezra nodded unsure of what to say. Touching the side of his face with her palm, she smiled reassuringly. "I'll miss you," she barely whispered. He smiled and leaned in to kiss her. He touched his forehead to hers as he placed his hands on her hips. Closing his eyes, he whispered the same words back to her before wrapping his arms around her in a hug. Soon they pulled apart and returned to his classroom.

He felt Aria's gaze on him but he refused to look up. With Maria gone, would the strong urge to admit his feelings to Aria return? Since Friday night, Maria was the only thing that was on his mind. Aria had been long forgotten. Clenching his jaw, he returned to his grading until the bell rang.

Sensing he wasn't alone, he peered up. Aria stood in front of him with a blank expression upon her face. "You wanted to see me?" she asked harshly.

"Thought you couldn't stay after class," he replied with the same harshness. She stared intently at him remaining silent. Blowing out a huff of air through his nose, he nodded his head looking back down at his work. "I think we should talk about what happened Friday."

"It won't happen again. I can guarantee you that." Ezra looked up at her. The feeling that erupted through him confused him. Was he happy about that? Or disappointed? Looking down, he cleared his throat. "Look, I have to get to my next class. Mr. Marks hates it when someone is late." The harshness from earlier had faded and now it was just frustration in her voice.

She turned to walk out. "So, you and Clark?" he questioned. She spun on her heels and paced up to him. She pulled him out from his desk and spun his chair around so he was facing her. She placed her hands on the arms of the chair and leaned in close to his face.

"What's it matter to you? You kissed me and ran. Now you want to pretend like nothing happened. You have no right to ask me about who I may or may not be dating." The intensity in her eyes scared him. She straightened but didn't move away. "But yes. Clark and I are dating." With that, she turned and left.

Ezra didn't move for what felt like an eternity. It was his planning period but he couldn't get the energy to move. He couldn't help the attraction he felt the instant she took control and spun him around. It aroused feelings in him he didn't know he had. When she leaned down he had a clear view of what was under her shirt.

Flaring his nostrils in disgust of himself, he placed his elbows on his knees and threw his head into his hands. What was he doing? Maria hadn't even left yet and he was already looking at Aria in ways he shouldn't. Not even an hour down, and a week to go.

**Aria POV**

Aria didn't go to class like she had planned. She had felt bad about getting in his face and was just going to pop her head into his classroom and apologize when she saw him with his head in his hands. She knew what it must be like to know you have these feelings for someone you shouldn't. Especially when it could cost you everything you've worked so hard for.

She softly opened the door and stepped in. "Hey," she whispered. He didn't look up but she knew he was aware of her presence by the tension that appeared in his shoulders. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get in your face like that." Finally he sat back up and looked at her. She was surprised by the defeated look etched in his face.

"I have feelings for you." He blurted out. He laughed harshly and looked up and out the corner of his eye. "I have feelings for my student. My sixteen year old student." He shook his head and grinned in despair.

"I have feelings for you, too. I know we can't…" she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. "I have this incredible guy and you have Ms. Sanchez. I think it's best if we just ignored the last week and just go back to teacher and student."

Mr. Fitz looked at her. "We have to. I can't risk everything I've worked for. I can't risk my future for a physical attraction."

Hurt filled her eyes. "Is that all it is?" she whispered.

Shaking his head, Mr. Fitz replied honestly, "I don't know. All I know is that I hardly even know you yet I can't keep you off my mind."

Aria nodded. She stepped up to him and held out her hand. "So we forget this past week and go back to teacher and student. Deal?" he shook it and smiled. Still holding his hand, she leaned forward. "Before we go back, I need to say something. In the kissing department, you get an A+." Smirking, Aria turned and left for the second time that day.

Aria felt good about their decision to just forget about everything. She knew deep down she couldn't but she hoped that on the outside they'd both be able to pull it off.

She was strutting past the bathroom when she felt a hand clamp down over her mouth. Her eyes widened in terror and she tried desperately to scream. They managed to pull her into the darkness of the bathroom.

"Shhh. It's me," she let out a sigh of relief when Clark's voice filled her ear. He let her go and she spun around. She smacked him on the chest hard. "Ouch!" he shrieked.

"You scared the shit out of me!" she whispered loudly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't feel up for class so I hid here and waited for you to walk by. Everything okay with Fitz?"

"Yeah, he was just asking about my poem." He hummed and leaned down to kiss her. She ran her fingers through the blond hair at the nape of his neck as she deepened the kiss. They pulled apart and Aria said she had to go. Clark nodded and let her slip out the door.

**Ezra POV**

It had been ten minutes after Aria left when he heard a hard knock on the door. He yelled for them to come in expecting it to be Aria but was surprised to find Ella standing there. "Mrs. Montgomery." He stood up with a smile and extended his hand out to her which she gladly took.

"Ella, please, Mr. Fitz"

"Ezra," he corrected her. She nodded and smiled. "So, this is your first day, right?' she nodded to him again. "How's it going so far?"

"Good. My first period students were great." She chewed her bottom lip in thought. That must be where Aria gets it from.

Quickly ridding himself of that thought, he asked, "Everything okay?"

Ella glanced back at the door before stepping closer to him. "You know Clark, right? Aria's boyfriend?" Ezra nodded begrudgingly. "Does something seem…off about him to you?" she asked hesitantly.

Ezra knitted his eyebrows together. "No…" he drawled out. "Why? Does he seem off to you?"

Ella pursed her lips and looked away from him and out the windows. "I don't know. Something about him seems weird. He's too friendly. Too perfect, you know?" Ezra nodded. He seemed to always know the right things to do with Aria. Ezra was the complete opposite. He had no idea what to do with Aria.

"I think maybe it's just your motherly instinct kicking in. The desire to know who your only daughter is dating." Ella smiled and nodded.

"Thanks." Ezra lifted one side of his mouth up in a half smile as she walked out. He turned to the windows and thought. Ella was right. Clark was too friendly. In the halls, he seemed to have everyone wrapped around his finger. From what Ezra saw, the guy talked to everyone.

**Aria POV**

"Clark is so hot!" Hanna said as she took her seat across from Aria. Aria looked away from Spencer and Emily who she had been talking to and smiled at Hannah. "And he adores you. It's…"

"Adorable?" Aria questioned. Hanna smirked.

"So judging by the blush and smile that's been gracing your beautiful face lately, I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you've slept with him."

Aria's jaw dropped in shock. "No! We have not had sex. God, Hannah, I've only known him a little over a week! Besides, I don't think I'm ready to take any relationship that far yet." Hanna rolled her eyes.

"What about Fitz?" Emily asked. All eyes turned to Aria.

"No, I'm not going to have sex with him either."

Emily chuckled, "No, I mean, you're feelings for him. Are they in the past or what?"

Aria bobbed her head slightly in understanding. "I talked to him about it. We agreed to not act on them…"

"So he has feelings for you, too?" Hanna interrupted. Aria nodded.

"We also agreed to just forget about each others feelings and focus on the relationships that we're in." The other three girls shared a few glances. Aria rolled her eyes. "What?"

"You going to be able to do that?" Spencer was unsure.

"Yeah. In fact, it was my idea." Aria looked at the table which she knew made the girls smirk. Aria jumped when she felt a vibration in her purse. She quickly sifted through her bag for her phone.

The caller ID read mom so Aria answered it without a second thought. "Hey mom. I'm on my way home. I was just having a quick coffee with the girls." Silence was heard on the other end. "Mom?" Aria questioned worriedly.

"Miss. Montgomery?" a male voice responded.

"Um, who is this and why are you answering my mother's phone?" Aria asked. Her friends were giving her weird looks which she returned with a shrug.

"I'm Officer Hamilton with the Rosewood Police. I'm afraid your mother has been in an accident." Aria's eyes widened in fear. Her friends looked at her confused.

"Aria, is everything okay?" Hanna whispered.

Aria cleared her throat as tears filled her eyes. Ignoring Hannah, she responded, "Is she okay?"

"I don't know. I'm sorry. She's on her way to Rosewood General as we speak." Aria immediately hung up and grabbed her purse. She faintly heard her friends calling for her as she jetted out the door.

"Ella Montgomery?" The receptionist held up a finger to tell her to wait as she took a call. Aria got frustrated and leaned over the counter, plopping her finger down on end button on the desk phone base. The woman looked at her in disbelief. Aria raised her eyebrows.

The woman set the phone down on the receiver before slowly turning to Aria. "What can I do for you?"

"Ella Montgomery? She was brought in here not long ago. She was in an accident." The receptionist's hands flew over the keyboard a few minutes before she looked up.

"Mrs. Montgomery was in a car accident. The doctor is taking a look at her now. Her husband has been informed and is on his way. Now please take a seat in the waiting room." She hastily picked up the phone again. Aria huffed as she turned to head to the waiting room.

Not long after she sat down, her dad showed up. The receptionist told him to wait in the waiting room also. An hour and a half passed before a doctor showed up.

"Family of Ella Montgomery?" Aria and Byron stood up and rushed to the doctor.

"Is she okay?" Byron asked panicked. The doctor looked down, sighed, and then looked up with sadness in his eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Ezra POV**

Ezra hummed as he walked down the halls of Rosewood High on his way to his classroom. The bustling in the halls was more hectic than usual. Not paying much attention to it, he continued to his class. Soon after writing the morning bell work on the board the bell rang for first period. Once everyone was in the room, Ezra looked up to take attendance and was surprised to find Aria's seat empty.

"Anyone know where Miss. Montgomery is?" he questioned over the announcements. His students looked at each other before looking back at him. Biting his cheek in wonder, he marked her absent.

Halfway through the period, the principle walked in. "Principle Heart. What can I do for you?" Ezra stopped his lecture and looked at the principle.

"May I have a word with you outside, Mr. Fitz?" Ezra frowned, set the paper in his hand down on his desk, and then gave them a short assignment before following the principle out the room.

Ezra turned to the principle in concern. "What's going on?"

Principle Hearts let out a sigh. "Ella Montgomery was in a car accident yesterday afternoon on her way home from work. I thought I should inform you that Aria Montgomery won't be in class for at least the week."

"Is she okay?" Secretly, he wanted to make sure Aria was okay but knew he couldn't ask without it looking suspicious.

"I don't know. Byron Montgomery, her husband," Ezra nodded hoping to hurry the conversation along, "called to inform us. He seemed pretty upset so we didn't ask any questions." Ezra nodded.

Ezra went through the day thinking about Aria. Maria had called him during his free period and he had told her about what he learned. After school ended, he got in his car and made his way to the hospital. He hadn't really planned on going to the hospital but he went into autopilot and found himself in the parking lot. He rushed through the doors to the hospital and immediately scanned the halls for Aria.

After not finding her, he asked a nurse who gave him the room number and told him he couldn't stay long. Knocking on the door lightly, he poked his head in to find the tear stained face of Byron Montgomery standing at the edge of the bed.

Byron gave him a sad smile and motioned for him to enter. Ezra walked in slowly and poked his head around the corner to see if Ella was awake. There he saw Ella asleep with Aria in the chair next to her clinging to her hand with her head on the bed asleep.

Ezra clenched his jaw at the sight of his coworker hooked to several machines. He walked closer to Byron. "How is she?" he whispered.

"Ella's fine." Never taking his eyes off his wife, Byron finished, "Turns out she's pregnant." Ezra looked over at him in shock. "They say the baby should be fine but the next few days are crucial."

Letting out a huff of air, Ezra nodded. "How-How are you and Aria doing?"

Laughing slightly, Byron motioned to his face, "Well, I think you can see how I'm doing." Ezra smiled softly. Byron looked back to Aria. "She's strong. She doesn't really show her emotions. I think she feels the need to put up an act for me. I don't want her to. I've told her several times its okay to let go but every time I say that she claims she's okay." Ezra nodded. Byron peered over at him. "Can you do me favor?" he whispered. Ezra stared back at him and nodded. "Let Aria stay with you for a couple of days."

Shocked, Ezra opened his mouth to protest. "She trusts you, Ezra," Byron interrupted, "She speaks very highly of you. She may not open up to me but she might to you. Besides, I don't want to leave Ella and I don't really want Aria alone right now."

'Okay," he agreed reluctantly. He knew it was a horrible idea but she needed him right now and that came above everything else in his mind. He watched as Byron walked over to Aria, put his hand on her shoulder, and softly nudged her awake. Sleepily, she lifted her head and squinted at her father.

"Hey, sweetheart," he father soothed. "You're going to spend the night with Mr. Fitz, okay?" She looked behind her father at Ezra who smiled softly and waved. She waved back and nodded too tired to fight with her father. Kissing her mother on the cheek, she got up and walked up to Ezra. With a hand on the small of her back, he guided her out of the hospital and to his car.

The car ride to his apartment was spent in silence. Occasionally, Ezra would look over at Aria. Every time he did, she had her head against the window looking out at the buildings that passed.

Finally, they arrived to his apartment. Without a word they got out and walked up. "Ummm, I don't really have anything that would fit you but you're more than welcome to sleep in a pair of my boxers and t-shirt."

Aria simply nodded as she scanned the room before her. He saw her smile slightly as she walked over to his book collection. Ezra walked over to his dresser and rummaged through it pulling out a pair of white boxers and an old Hollis t-shirt. He walked up behind her and saw her admiring the book he wrote, Fearless Love. "You're more than welcome to read it," she jumped slightly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Uh, here are the clothes for you to wear. You can change in the bathroom," he handed her the clothing and motioned to the bathroom. She put the book back on the shelf and went in the bathroom closing the door softly behind her.

When Aria returned, Ezra was sitting on the sofa flipping through a magazine. He stood up and told her he was going to change and only got a nod in return. Emerging from the bathroom, he looked over at Aria on the couch just staring off into space. "You all right?"

Not moving her eyes, she asked, "Is that a typewriter?" Ezra came closer and sat beside her. He averted his eyes to where she was looking.

"Uh, yeah it is," he watched her as she got up and walked over to it lightly tapping the keys.

"I didn't realize people still used these,"

Chuckling, he responded, "They don't. Well, I don't at least. That's just to make the room look good." Aria looked back at him blankly. Clearing his throat, Ezra stood and motioned to the bed. "So, you're going to sleep in the bed. I'll take the couch." When Ezra looked back toward her, he saw her quickly avert eyes away from him. He looked down at himself and found himself smiling when he realized she had been staring at his nude torso. He looked back at her and smiled. "If me not having a shirt on is making you uncomfortable just tell me and I'll put a shirt on."

"I don't want to kick you out of your bed," she said softly ignoring his last statement.

"You're not. I'm offering it to you," she nodded. "Do you want anything to eat or drink?" she shook her head. Ezra nodded and looked down unsure of what to say. "Have you eaten at all today?" Aria looked at him in slight anger. "You should eat something," he responded taking the look as a no.

Aria finally complied and followed him to the kitchen. "So, there's not much I can cook but I have a few snack foods. Plus I can make one hell of a peanut butter sandwich." His attempt at humor didn't even earn him a smile from Aria.

"I'll just take some chips," she stated noticing the chips on top of the fridge. Ezra grabbed them for her.

"What's it about?" she asked popping a chip in her mouth. Ezra furrowed his brows in confusion. "You're book," she clarified. "What's it about?"

Realization set in and he smiled with pride. "It's about fearless love."

"Well, no duh. That's the name of it," Finally, he got a little smile out of her. He grinned back.

"Guess you'll have to read it now won't you?" he quipped back. Aria smiled slightly before popping a chip in her mouth.

**Aria POV**

Aria lied in the darkness unable to sleep. She was literally a few feet away from the man she told herself she had to get over. This was going to be hard with her staying with him for the night. Knowing her dad though, she was probably staying for more than the night. She thought back to when he had caught her looking at him. She was nicely surprised when he had returned from the bathroom in nothing but a pair of sweatpants. A teacher should not look that good without a shirt on. But then again, a teacher shouldn't look that good period. Sighing, Aria rolled over to face the wall and closed her eyes. Within minutes, she was asleep.

A few hours later, Aria shot up with sweat pouring down her face. Her breath quickened as she looked around her room and nothing seemed familiar to her. Remembering where she was, she closed her eyes to try and steady her breathing. The dream she had just endured had seemed so real. She was standing in the middle of a cemetery looking around at all the headstones. Her mother, father, friends, everyone was dead. Spinning around in circles looking at all the headstones, she dropped to her knees in tears. Within seconds, she felt a pair of arms surround her. She looked up and expected to see Clark only to be faced with Mr. Fitz. That's when she had woken up.

Softly, she climbed out of bed and walked over to the book shelf. Using her cell phone as lighting, she found Fearless Love and pulled it out. Walking back to the bed, she climbed in and opened the book.

The next morning, she woke up and looked around. The book she had been reading was lying on the floor beside the bed with a bookmark sticking out the top. She didn't remember having a bookmark or putting the book on the floor.

"You fell asleep reading last night. I found a bookmark on the shelf and put it in there," she heard from the kitchen. She looked up to find Mr. Fitz standing over the stove. Standing, she stretched as she walked over to the bar and sat on the stool.

"Thanks, Mr. Fitz. For everything." He turned his head slightly to look at her and offered her a small smile.

"Ezra," he stated.

"I'm sorry?" Aria stated confused.

"Mr. Fitz is a mouthful. When we're here you can call me Ezra. We're going to be roommates for a little while anyway." Aria wasn't surprised. She figured her father would stay with Ella and want her with someone but did it have to be the English teacher she was attracted to?

"You sure this is a good idea?" she questioned when he placed some eggs on the plate he sat in front of her.

He stared up at her and sighed. "I don't know. Feelings aside, you need someone. I know you have Clark and your friends but I think your father would prefer someone…"

"Older? Wiser?" she finished for him. He nodded pursing his lips. "Of all the people, he chose you."

"He said you spoke highly of me," he stated smugly. Aria blushed and picked up a fork to eat her eggs.

"I don't know what he's talking about," she mumbled as she took a bite. She looked from his eyes to his chest. Clenching her jaw, she shoved another forkful of eggs into her mouth. Ezra smirked as he ate his own eggs. Aria looked at the clock. "Shouldn't you be at school?

Ezra looked over at the clock. "Oh crap!" Aria's eyes widened.

"You're late for school! You need to go, now!" Ezra turned back to her grinning.

"Relax. I called in this morning. I told them I had a family matter to attend to and that I'd need the next few days off." Aria huffed and pushed him slightly.

"Jackass," she mumbled. When he looked away, she couldn't help but smile.

"So, do you like it so far?" he asked. She looked up at him. He motioned to the book beside the bed.

Swallowing the eggs in her mouth, she nodded, "It's really good. When was it published?"

"Last year. A friend of a friend took a look at my work and liked it. Within months, it was published and out in stores." He smiled with pride filled eyes.

"That's impressive," she grinned back. The smiles on both their faces slowly faded as they stared into each others eyes. Aria's eyes moved to his lips. She wanted so bad to kiss him. She knew this was a bad idea. Clearing her throat and averting her eyes back down to her eggs, she asked, "Can you take me home so I can grab a few things?" He nodded. "Thanks."

Opening the door to her house, Aria motioned for Ezra to come into the house. She didn't realize he had followed her to her room until she started throwing things into a bag and saw him standing in her doorway leaning against the frame with his hands in his pockets. Before they left his apartment, he had changed into a pair of navy blue jeans and a dark blue checkered polo shirt with a dark grey v-neck sweater on top. She froze and stared at him as he looked around her room. His eyes landed on her. She wanted to look away but couldn't.

"Aria…I…" he was interrupted by the voice of her father hollering her name from downstairs. Closing his eyes, he looked down.

"Yeah dad, I'm here! I'm just grabbing a few things before we head back to his apartment," my eyes stayed on Ezra the whole time. Licking his lips, Ezra peered back up at her. Aria nodded in understanding and continued to pack her bag.

"Oh okay," her father said from behind Ezra causing him to jump. "Sorry," her father stated. "I just came by for some clothes and something to eat before I head back to the hospital. Uh, Ezra," he turned and addressed the man in question. "Maybe I should get your number incase Aria can't answer her cell." Ezra nodded and raddled off his number as Aria continued packing. When she was done, she kissed her father goodbye before her and Ezra left.

Ezra dropped Aria off at his apartment while he went to run a few errands. Aria decided to do a little snooping around while he was gone. She knew it was wrong but she was little curious. Who was Ezra Fitz? She smiled when she saw a few pictures of him with other people who she assumed were some of his college buddies. She paused when she came across a picture lying on his desk of a little boy. She picked it up and flipped it over to read the back.

_Zane Alexander Fitz_

_Age 3_

Did Ezra have a son? Aria's mouth opened in shock.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Ezra POV**

After dropping Aria off at his apartment, Ezra ran by the school to pick up some papers to grade. He was walking through the halls when his cell phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, he immediately felt guilty. Maria. He needed to tell her Aria was staying with him. Should he? His finger played over the ignore button until, with a sigh, he pressed the answer key.

"Hello," he muttered into the phone.

"_Hey, Ezra. How was your day?" _he heard Maria say into his ear. Ezra was quiet for a while before he told her that it went fine. _"Anything interesting happen?" _

Ezra closed his eyes. It was if she knew. "Well, Ella Montgomery got into a car accident two days ago on her way home from work. She's fine but Byron wanted Aria to stay with me."

"_Ezra, please tell me you told him no." _Ezra remained silent. Hearing her sigh as he entered his classroom, he knew what was coming. _"She's your student, Ezra. Do you know how this looks?"_

"Maria," Ezra stated frustrated. "Her mother is in the hospital recuperating and you expected me to just leave her alone. Byron was trying his best to take care of his wife. He didn't want Aria to feel the need to take care of them both and he didn't want her staying at home by herself. What did you expect me to do?" How could she think about the way things looked? Aria was dealing with a lot right now. She needed him. And honestly, he needed her.

"_And he couldn't find someone else who isn't her teacher to baby-sit?" _Ezra clenched his jaw in annoyance.

"Byron thought it was best she stay with an adult. Preferably someone she'd open up to. I'm not going to kick her to the curb all alone. She's staying with me."

"_Ezra…"_

"No, Maria. End of discussion." He knew he was being hostile with her but he needed to do this. At the moment, he couldn't care less about the way things looked. Sighing, he changed the subject. "So, how's Ohio?"

After a long pause, she finally answered, _"Great. My father is pretty upset. Jack was his closest friend but I've managed to help out a little I think."_

"Good."

"_Hey, I have to go. Bye." _She didn't even give him a chance to respond before she hung up. Snapping his phone closed, he shoved it in his pocket and grabbed the few papers sitting on his desk. After leaving the school, he grabbed some Chinese food before heading back to his apartment.

**Aria POV**

Aria studied the picture. The boy kind of looked like Ezra but not a whole lot. The little boy had short black hair and Ezra's beautiful blue eyes. The dimples that formed at the corners of his mouth when he grinned would make any human being smile. Aria was still looking at the picture when the door opened and closed.

Dropping the photo as if it were on fire, she jumped away from the desk and turned to look at Ezra who was standing at the door looking at her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry,"

Ezra sat the food down on the counter before walking up to her. "No, it's fine." He picked up the picture and smiled as he peered down at Aria. "This is my nephew. He turned three last week."

Aria smiled. Not his son. Relief flooded over her. "He's adorable. He's going to be a ladies man with those charming dimples and beautiful blue eyes." Ezra glanced over at her. Aria knew she had just pointed out the traits that Zane had managed to gain from the Fitz side of the family and blushed.

"Yeah. I don't get to see him that often." When Aria asked why, Ezra suddenly became very quiet. Aria watched his face as anguish appeared. "My brother, Nathan, he, uh, he wasn't the best father in the world. He was a drunk. An abusive drunk. He never laid a hand on Zane but Clarissa, his wife, wasn't so lucky. He lost custody of him. Nate is getting help and he's doing a lot better. He hopes to get partial custody sometime next month. Clarissa allows me to see Zane about four times a year. She sends me pictures all the time."

"I'm sorry," Aria whispered.

Ezra looked up at her and she saw his blue eyes shining from tears. "I've never told anyone all of that," he whispered. Aria hesitantly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. His arms instantly found their way around her waist.

"Well, thank you for telling me," she whispered in his ear. She felt him nod against her shoulder.

Sniffling, he pulled away but kept his hands on her hips. Looking into her eyes, he stated, "I hope that you can trust me enough to open up to me, Aria. If you ever want to talk about Alison or whatever, just let me know." Aria nodded in understanding. Suddenly her phone rang. Excusing herself, she walked over to the coffee table where she had laid it and picked it up.

"Hey dad, what's up?" she questioned. She listened intently to what her father was saying and found herself falling to her knees. Ezra was there instantly to wrap his arms around her. She broke down in tears as she hung up.

"Shhh," Ezra soothed her rubbing her back.

"The-the baby died. The trauma was too much for it to handle," she got out. Ezra's arms tightened there hold on her. She turned in his arms and threw her own arms around his neck and buried her head in the crook of his neck as she cried.

**Ezra POV**

Aria had managed to stop crying but refused to release Ezra which he wasn't complaining about. They sat there for a while in silence. "Aria?" Ezra whispered. She moved slightly but kept her face buried in his neck. "Do you want something to eat?" She shook her head no. Aria's breathing began to slow down. She was asleep. Ezra hooked his arm under her legs and hoisted her up.

Sitting her down on the bed, he removed her shoes before tucking her in. He was about to walk away when he heard her whisper, "Please don't leave."

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll just be on the couch," he whispered.

Aria moved over and flipped the covers back inviting him into the bed with her. Ezra didn't hesitate to slip his own shoes off and climb in with her. Aria scooted closer to him and laid her head down on his chest. Putting his arm around her, Ezra pulled her closer and softly planted a kiss into her hair. She let out a soft sigh and gently laid her hand on his chest. Once he knew she was asleep, he brought his right hand up and placed it on top of hers. Within minutes, he was asleep.

A few hours later, Ezra awoke. Neither one of them had moved. Lying there looking at the top of her head, Ezra did some thinking. His feelings had definitely gotten stronger over the past few days. She had shown him a completely different side of her the past several hours. Placing his chin on the top of her head, he smiled contently. Maria hadn't been on his mind at all since she left. Aria was the only thing that occupied his thoughts. Closing his eyes on his thoughts, he fell back asleep.

The next morning, Ezra opened his eyes and immediately closed them again as the blinding sun presented itself. Moving his left hand up to his eyes, he was surprised to find he was able to move it. He looked over where Aria was supposed to be to find it empty except for a note. Sitting up, he grabbed the note.

_Ezra,_

_Thanks for last night. Clark called this morning and asked if we could hang out today. I'll be back tonight. _

_-Aria_

Ezra groaned. Clark. Figures. Throwing the covers off of him, he headed for the bathroom. Splashing some water on his face, Ezra looked at his reflection in the mirror. He had held her last night as she cried and all she could think about was Clark. Rubbing his hands over his face, he let out a loud growl.

He was doing some reading when his cell phone rang four hours later. Answering, he was surprised to hear Aria's voice on the other end of the phone call. "Hey, Ezra. It's-, uh, Aria."

"What's up?" he questioned.

"Can you come pick me up?" she asked innocently.

"Thought you were spending the day with your boyfriend," he spat.

"I was." Apparently she didn't hear the hostility in his voice or she just chose to ignore it. "I told him I was staying with you and he didn't really take it well. We got into a little argument. Look, can you come get me or am I going to have to walk all the way there?"

Sighing, he gave in. "Where are you?"

**Aria POV**

Aria sat on the curb watching the cars go by as she waited for Ezra. She thought back to the past few days. She had somehow ended up staying with Ezra. She had told herself just last week that she would forget about him and she was succeeding but then her father had to go and pawn her off on him. Now, she couldn't seem to get him off her mind. It didn't even bother her one bit that Clark was angry that she was staying with him. For a second she cared but then she thought back to yesterday. Ezra had been there for her when she needed him. He held her as she cried. He held her while she slept. He had even opened up to her about his brother.

A car pulling up brought her out of her thoughts. Standing, she wiped the invisible dirt off her skirt and got into the passenger seat. "Thanks," she said to him. Ezra simply nodded before getting back on the road. The car ride was spent in silence.

When they got to his apartment, they went and did their own thing. Ezra watched television while Aria sat on his back porch and read some more of his book. It wasn't until nine-thirty that night that Aria came in and sat beside him. She waited for him to look at her before speaking, "Me staying here hasn't helped anything." She didn't clarify.

"You mean with Clark." It wasn't so much of a question as it was a statement. Aria looked over at him with furrowed brows.

"No, I was talking about the whole forgetting about each others feelings thing." Ezra looked at her in surprise.

"You're right. My feelings for you have gotten stronger the past few days." Ezra stated looking at the TV. Frustrated, Aria reached over to grab the remote from his hand but he was too fast. He stuck it out of her reach.

"Ezra, give me the remote!" she yelled reaching for it. The closer she got the more he leaned away to keep it from her. Without realizing it, she had climbed on top of him trying to grab it. In the blink of an eye, the remote was on the floor beside the couch and Ezra had his hand on the back of her head pulling her face toward his. Crashing his lips to hers, Ezra wrapped his free arm around her back pulling her closer to him. Too shocked to do anything, Aria remained still. Soon though, she found herself responding with the same forcefulness.

A few minutes later, their lips pulled apart slowly. Ezra still didn't let go of her. Clenching his jaw, Ezra looked up into her brown orbs as she peered down at his blue ones. He remained motionless. Slowly, she leaned forward and captured his lips in a gentle kiss. She pulled back slightly before kissing him again. The kiss slowly grew into a sensual one. Aria placed one hand on his chest and the other on the side of his face. Oh yeah, their feelings were definitely not being ignored.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Ezra POV**

Yawning as he opened his eyes, Ezra found himself unable to stretch. Grunting a little, he looked down and saw a mess of brown hair lying on his chest. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion until the memory of him and Aria kissing flooded his mind. Without thinking, he smiled. He felt her move slightly. Quickly slipping out from under her, he made his way to the bed to grab a blanket. He walked back over to the couch and draped it over her and then turned off the television. After the kiss, neither had said a word. They had looked in each other's eyes for a while placing random kisses on each other lips. When her eyes began to droop, Aria laid her head down on his chest which Ezra welcomed. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and they both fell into a deep slumber.

The past few nights she had stayed with him he would wake up in the middle of the night and hear her tossing and turning in her sleep. He assumed it was because of her mother's accident or Alison's disappearance. He often debated with himself about whether or not to wake her but when he would throw the covers off himself to get up, she would settle down. This was the first time he had ever seen her actually sleep peacefully. He smiled lovingly as he peered down at her.

Sighing, he averted his eyes as he made his way to the kitchen. He was just turning on the stove when he heard a knock on the door. Thinking maybe it was a neighbor who had found some of his mail mixed with theirs, he swung the door open. The smile on his face instantly dropped with he stared into the blue eyes before him.

"Maria," he stated. She smiled back at him as she pushed past him. He closed the door and turned. He almost ran into her. Looking over her shoulder, he saw her looking at Aria. She spun around to him with fire blazing in her eyes.

"What the hell, Ezra? I thought we discussed this!" Maria shouted.

"Shhh! Keep your voice down," he whispered loudly.

Maria shook her head. "Get her out of here, now!" Ezra was about to respond when he heard a light rustling behind Maria. He glanced over her shoulder to see Aria stumbling around the room gathering her things. He stepped around Maria and watched her grab things from all over the room.

"Aria…" he began but she interrupted.

"It's fine, Mr. Fitz," she stated putting emphasis on his name. He cringed as he heard the anger etched in her voice. Without looking at him, she pushed past him and headed for the door.

When the door slammed shut behind her, Ezra spun to Maria. "What the hell was that? I told you she was staying here."

"And I told you that it looked bad. What do you think would happen if the school board found out about your living situation?"

Ezra looked at her incredulously. "You think I care what people think? She needed my help. Her mother was just in a serious accident and lost a baby. Ella and Byron don't need to be taking care of Aria right now when Ella should be resting and Byron should be helping Ella through this."

"Oh come on, Ezra! Get over yourself. Aria probably begged her father to let her stay here with you." Maria laughed curtly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ezra stepped closer to Maria challengingly.

Maria stared at him for a few moments before closing her eyes and sighing. "Look, I just got back can we not fight about this. I don't want her staying here. End of story."

"And that's not your decision. End of story." He mocked before reaching for his keys and phone and slamming the door on his way out.

**Aria POV**

Aria hugged her jacket to her as she walked one of the few streets in Rosewood. The chilly air hit her with fierceness but she refused to put on her jacket. She hadn't gotten very far from Ezra's apartment when she heard a car come up behind her. It stopped and parked on the side of the road but Aria refrained from looking back. She didn't want to talk to Ezra right now.

His girlfriend was a piece of work. She didn't even live in his apartment yet she was telling him who he could and couldn't have living with him? What kind of relationship is that? Aria clenched her jaw in anger. The kiss they had shared the night before was amazing. Every time Ezra had kissed her something ran through her blood she had never felt before. She couldn't place the feeling. Lost in thought, she didn't hear the footsteps behind her.

Aria's eyes widened as she felt a pair of arms wrap around her. She went to scream but she felt a piece of cloth being clamped over her mouth. She kicked her feet back and forth rapidly trying to release the person's grip but it only tightened. Soon, she felt her body limp as her vision grew blurry and her eyes drooped. All she saw was darkness. Pure darkness.

**Ezra POV**

Ezra sighed as he looked to his right and left as he drove toward Aria's house. He was surprised he hadn't seen her yet. Ezra turned on the radio and gripped the steering wheel tighter. Maria had no say in whether or not Aria could stay with him. Frustrated, Ezra let out a sigh when he reached Aria's house but saw no sign of Aria. He pulled into her driveway and rushed up to the door. Ringing the doorbell, he felt someone come up behind him. He spun around.

His frown deepened when he saw Clark standing before him. "Hey, I heard Aria is staying with you." Clark licked his lips as he looked from the ground up at Ezra and then back to the ground.

"Yeah, she is." Ezra didn't offer any other information. Clark sighed.

"Look, can you tell her I'm sorry. I screwed up. I was just jealous and scared,"

Ezra scrunched up his eyebrows. "Scared? Scared of what?" Clark raised an eyebrow at him. "Me?" Ezra asked shocked.

"Well, I mean, you've only known Aria for a short period of time and I've known you even less. Plus, you're our teacher so we don't know you that well." Ezra nodded in understanding and looked back at Clark. Clark wanted to say something else but paused hesitantly. Ezra raised an eyebrow at him in curiosity. Sighing, Clark continued, "And I'm scared of Aria's feelings for you. I'm not blind, Mr. Fitz. I see the way she looks at you in class, in the hallway."

Ezra closed his eyes slightly. This kid knew about Aria's feelings for him. Could he also see his feelings for Aria? Ezra peered over at Clark. "She's my student, Mr. Riley. Nothing else." It was a lie but one that Clark seemed to buy.

"Just tell her I'm sorry and that we need to talk, please." Ezra nodded. Clark smiled politely and turned to leave. He stopped halfway down the sidewalk before he turned around. "And tell her…tell her that I love her." With that said, he turned, got in his car, and left behind a very flabbergasted Ezra.

Clark loved Aria? Looking down, Ezra sighed. Maybe Maria was right. Aria staying with Ezra was a bad idea. Aria had this wonderful guy willing to do anything for her and he was just getting in the way. The kiss they had shared last night might have been amazing and wonderful and mind blowing but it wasn't right. Ezra was her teacher. Looking back at the door to the Montgomery house longingly, he turned and left.

**Aria POV**

Aria opened her eyes to the darkness. She tried to move her hands but found that she couldn't. The tingling sensation that shot up her arm alerted her to the fact that she was laying on them. She rolled onto her side and tried to pull her hands apart only for them to remain together thanks to the zip tie tied around her wrists. Groaning in defeat, Aria allowed her eyes to adjust to the darkness before looking around again. A crowbar, speaker, and blanket were beside her. Was she in a trunk?

Aria continued to look around in hopes of finding something to undo the zip tie. She was startled when she heard a bang on the trunk door. She remained still until she heard the engine give a roar. Aria's breath began to quicken as realization of where she was kicked in. Suddenly, the air seemed to be removed from the confined space as she started to toss and turn frantically. The walls seemed to be closing in. She rolled back over swiftly and felt a sharp sting on her forehead. Cursing, she opened her eyes to see the end of the crowbar. A cool liquid was slowly making its way down her face. Her vision became blurry just before the darkness overcame her once again.

**Ezra POV**

Entering the hospital, Ezra became very nervous. What was it about this family that always made him nervous? Oh yeah, it could be the fact that not twenty-four hours ago he was making out with their sixteen year old daughter. He knocked on the door lightly and opened it before stepping in. He smiled when he saw Byron poke his head around the corner and motion him in.

"Ezra! Is Aria with you?" Byron asked. When Ezra made his way around the curtain he saw a drained Ella peering up at him with a soft smile.

"Uh, no. I actually wanted to talk to you about Aria staying with me…"

Byron interrupted him. "I was just talking with Ella about that actually. It's probably not a good idea that she stay with you anymore."

Ezra shook his head slightly in surprise. "May I ask why?" he asked softly. Did they see the feelings he had for their daughter?

"It's nothing against you," Byron quickly put in. Ezra nodded slightly in slight confusion. "It's just that it can't look good for you having a female student staying with you and with the feelings Aria has…" Byron quickly stopped when Ella slapped him on the shoulder softly. He looked over at her and with her eyes bulged she shook her head.

Ezra looked down at his feet and smiled before peering back up and meeting Byron's gaze. "That's actually what I came here to say. Aria is great but it really doesn't look good for me. As for the feelings she has, she didn't act any different toward me at my apartment than she does at school. She didn't let her feelings be known. Or at least, no more than at school." Byron and Ella looked at him quizzically. Chuckling, Ezra continued, "I know about her feelings. She doesn't hide them well but it's okay. It doesn't bother me." Byron nodded and Ella smiled at him a raised eyebrow.

"Good. So, tell Aria she can stay at home by herself and that Ella and I will be home in a couple of days, okay?" Nodding, Ezra left. He drove back to the Montgomery house and took out a pen and paper he had in the center console of his car. He wrote down what Byron had told him to tell Aria. He got out of his car, walked up to the door, slipped the note under it, and rang the doorbell. Then, hastily, he got in his car and drove back to his apartment.

As soon as he opened the door, Maria got up off the couch. He strode over to her.

"I'm sorry," they said at the same time. They both smiled at each other and looked down.

"You were right," he said. "It didn't look good that Aria was here. She needed my help though, Maria. The girl has been through a lot in the past year. First her friend goes missing, and then her mother gets in an accident and loses a baby. It has to be hard. And, honestly, it was nice to be needed."

Maria smiled and stepped forward wrapping her arms around his neck. Ezra smiled back lovingly as he placed his hands on her hips. Pursing her lips, she asked, "Do you really feel that way? That you liked being needed?"

Ezra smiled. "Yeah. It was like when my two-year-old niece stays with me sometimes. It felt…" he didn't know what word he was looking for.

Maria smiled, "Father like?" Smiling, Ezra nodded. "Well, I'm glad to hear you say that because, Ezra," Maria bit her lip and smiled, "I'm pregnant."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Ezra POV**

Ezra's eyes bulged and his jaw dropped open in surprise. "Pregnant?" he whispered. Smiling widely, Maria nodded. The smile slowly began to fade from her lips when she noticed him not smiling. "How? I-I mean it's only been a week. I-I don't understand." He stepped away from her and sat down on the arm of the chair behind him. Sitting on the coffee table, Maria grabbed his hands.

"Before we met, about a week before we met actually, I was…" She bit her lip and looked away from him and sniffed. Ezra's eyebrows scrunched together as he watched her. She looked back at him with a forced smile. A tear slowly made its way down her cheek. Ezra reached out and wiped it away and then cupped her cheek. Closing her eyes and leaning into his touch, she continued, "A week before we met I was at a party. It was an After-college-before-work party, you know?" Ezra nodded. It was something that local colleges would do. During the summer after graduation, someone would throw a big party for the graduating class for all the colleges in the area. It was a tradition of sorts. "I had had a little bit too much to drink. There was this guy there that I had been flirting with all night. It was innocent flirting. It meant nothing. Apparently, he didn't think so. He offered to drive me home and since I couldn't drive, I obliged. Stupid I know but I was in no shape to drive. We got outside my apartment. He asked to come in but I refused. After opened the door I turn around to tell him goodnight and he pushed me in. I was kicking and screaming as he picked me up and threw me down on the bed…" Closing her eyes tightly, tears began to stream down her face.

"Hey, shhhh," Ezra whispered kneeling down in front of her. He cupped her face in his hands. She opened her eyes and smiled into the kiss that Ezra softly planted on her lips.

Breathing in deeply, she continued, "It was painful. I had never felt pain like that before. I spent three days in my room. Finally, my best friend came in and dragged me out. She said we had to go shopping before out first days of work," she stopped and chuckled. Ezra smiled softly at her. Maria looked down at her hands and remained silent for a while. "I never told anyone about what he did to me." She looked back up at him with sad eyes. Ezra nodded and stood up. She looked up at him as he hooked an arm under legs and picked her up. She laughed softly. He walked her over to his bed and softly laid her down. They both got under the covers. Holding his arm over his head, she scooted closer to him and placed her cheek over his heart. He wrapped his arm around her and held her close.

**Aria POV**

Aria awoke the next morning in a brightly lit room. She glanced around at her surroundings and furrowed her brows. Her mother was in the bed beside her and her father was at the edge of her bed sitting in a chair with his feet propped up. "Dad?" Aria questioned. Byron looked up over the magazine in his hands and stood up. He was by her side in an instant.

"Good morning. How are you feeling?" He asked with a smile.

"Sore," she replied as she reached up to her forehead. She felt the small bandage near her hairline. "What happened?"

"Some people found you on the side of the road near our house. The doctor said you must have fainted and hit your head on a rock. He says you'll be fine and that you can be released this afternoon." Aria looked at him quizzically. Byron tilted his head to the side. "What?"

Aria opened her mouth to respond but closed her eyes, smiled, and shook her head. "Nothing. I thought something different had happened. I mean it felt so real but I guess I was just dreaming," she said. He nodded. "How's mom?" she looked over at her sleeping mother. Her father did the same and sighed.

"She'll be fine…eventually." Aria nodded. "How are you dealing with everything that's happened?"

"Fine," Aria responded. Aria and Byron both heard a knock on the door. Byron yelled for them to come in. Aria chewed her lip. She really didn't want to see Ezra right now. Especially with her parents in the room.

The frown quickly turned into a smile when she saw a bouquet of flowers covering someone's face. Ezra was such a sweetheart. When the flowers moved to the side to reveal Clark standing there with an awkward smile, her face went blank. She definitely did not feel like talking to him.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Fine," she responded nonchalantly. They both remained quiet. Finally, Byron got the hint. He walked over to Ella and softly shook her awake.

"Hey, sweetheart, you want to get out of this hospital room for a while?" Ella agreed happily. Her mother had never been one to stay in one place for very long. She was always out doing something. Once they were out of the room, Clark laid the flowers down on Ella's bed before standing next to Aria's bed.

"What are you doing here?" she asked harshly.

"Didn't Mr. Fitz talk to you?" he asked. When she just stared at him, he continued, "Right. You were unconscious. You probably haven't seen him since I talked to him." Clearing his throat, Clark sat on the edge of her bed. "I'm sorry. I was a jerk. I should never have acted that way when you told me you were staying with Fitz. You have to understand though, Aria. I see the way you look at him. You like him…a lot, and I'm scared of that."

Aria smiled softly and reached up to run her hand through his blond hair. He smiled down at her. "He's my teacher, Clark. Just because I like him and find him attractive doesn't mean something is going to happen between us. It's just a schoolgirl crush. You don't have to worry. Nothing is going to happen with me and Mr. Fitz. Plus, I really like you."

Clark nodded. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity before Clark leaned down and softly touched his lips to hers. She smiled against his lips and wrapped her arm around his neck pulling him on top of her. He laughed and held himself over her. He quickly lay down beside her when they heard the door open and shut. She snuggled up to him.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she smiled contentedly. Opening her eyes to greet her visitor, she opened her mouth in shock as she saw Ezra standing before her with a hurt expression. He quickly masked it with a smile.

"Hey," he whispered. "I heard about what happened and wanted to make sure you were okay."

Aria sat up. "Yeah, no, I'm fine. Thanks," she hadn't exactly forgotten about what happened at his apartment but having Clark by her side she couldn't exactly say something about it now.

Ezra nodded and looked between her and Clark. Shaking his head, he smiled, "Uh well, I'll leave you two alone. Uh, I'm glad you're okay," he stated in a loving voice that only she'd recognize. Aria smiled back at him and nodded. He smiled and nodded to Clark before leaving.

Aria watched him go. When she heard the door close behind him, she sighed to herself and lay back down with Clark. She looked up at him and smiled brightly. He grinned back down at her. She stretched up and placed a light kiss to his lips before resting her cheek on his chest.

**Ezra POV**

Seeing Aria with Clark had hurt. Ezra sighed and smiled. She looked happy. He was happy, too. He had Maria. After she had fell asleep after telling him about her rape, he had gotten a call from Byron Montgomery explaining what had happened. Ezra wanted to rush over but thought better of it. So, he had stayed with Maria.

Ezra had chosen the following morning, Sunday morning, to visit Aria while Maria was at church. He didn't even think about Clark being there so he hadn't prepared what he was going to say just in case he was. When he walked in and saw them snuggled up together both sporting a smile, he hadn't been sure how to react. When he saw the look on Aria's face when she saw him, he knew he had to forget about everything that had happened between them. He had told himself that the day before but seeing her with Clark made it a done deal.

Ezra opened the door to his apartment and was greeted by the smell of bacon. "Hey, I thought you might like some bacon," Maria said giddily. Ezra smiled and nodded. "So, where'd you go? I was expecting you to still be in bed when I got back from church."

"Oh, uh, Aria was in an accident last night. She bumped her head. I just went to see if she was okay which she is, by the way." Maria halted her cooking momentarily but remained silent. Sighing, Ezra walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Resting his chin on her shoulder, he asked quietly, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said innocently as she poured herself a glass of orange juice. Finally, she sat the juice down and turned in his arms. "I'm not comfortable with you being around her."

"Why?" he asked.

Maria looked down at his chest and then back up at him. "She likes you, Ezra. It's obvious. The way she acts around you. She flirts with you all the time at school and sometimes I even catch you flirting back."

Chuckling, Ezra wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Tilting her chin up with his hand, Ezra looked into her eyes lovingly, "I know how she feels about me. I've made things very clear with her. I told her she can flirt but nothing can happen. It may look like I'm flirting back but I'm not. I'm with you. So, relax."

"If something happened between the two of you while she was staying here, you'd tell me, right?" Maria asked quietly. Ezra's eyes widened momentarily. When Maria looked up, he quickly masked it with a smile and a nod. She smiled back and kissed him on the lips before turning back to her orange juice. Ezra stared at her back guiltily.

**Aria POV**

"You're going to be staying here alone for two days. I only have one rule. No boys. And yes, that means Clark." Her father looked at her narrowly. Aria nodded in understanding and smiled when he turned around. Byron left but not before repeatedly asking if she was okay and if she needed anything.

Aria spent the next few hours writing in her notebook. It was bugging her that she didn't get to finish Ezra's book. She was just getting to the heart of the story when she had pretty much been kicked out of his apartment. Since she didn't get to finish the book, she decided to continue it from where she left off with her own ending.

She was writing away in her notebook when she heard the doorbell ring. Smiling, Aria got up, hid her notebook, and bolted downstairs. Opening the door, she greeted Clark with a caring smile and a gentle kiss to the lips. She grabbed his arm and quickly pulled him and slammed the door closed behind him. When he turned around, she swiftly made her way up to him and kissed him passionately. He responded with equal eagerness.

He carried her upstairs to her bedroom where he laid her down on the bed. He got on top of her and ran his hands up and down her side. She pushed him away slightly. He looked down at her ready to apologize when she put a finger to his lips, smiled, and leaned up to pull the oversized T-shirt over her head. He smiled back down at her and dived back down for another kiss.

An hour later, Aria laid curled up in Clark's arms. She sighed as she snuggled closer to him. She played with the happy trail leading from his bellybutton down to just above his manhood. He rolled his head over and kissed the top of her head. Aria looked up and bit her lip. He smiled down at her happily and leaned down to plant a long sensual kiss on her lips.

Pulling back begrudgingly, she stated softly, "I should probably take a shower." She slipped away from him and took one of the sheets with her. She wrapped it around herself and made her way to the door. Hand on the doorframe, she turned and asked seductively, "Want to join me?" He smiled and chased her into the bathroom. When he caught up to her, he wrapped his arms around her waist. She looked at him over her shoulder with a huge smile. The smile fell as he looked at her seriously. She turned in his arms. "What's wrong?" she asked quietly.

"Nothing," he whispered back. With a soft smile, he brushed a strand of hair out of her face and caressed her cheek lightly with his thumb. "I love you," Clark leaned down and kissed her passionately not giving her a chance to respond to those three little words.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Ezra POV**

"Yeah, sure I can watch him for a week," Ezra stated into the phone before taking a sip of the coffee in his hand. "Okay. I'll see you then, Clarissa." Flipping the phone shut, he took another big gulp from his coffee. Suddenly, a smile spread across his face as he felt two arms wrap around his neck from behind. Leaning back slightly in the chair, he looked up at Maria. "Good morning," he murmured touching his lips softly to hers.

Moaning, she rested her chin on his shoulder. "Who was that on the phone?" she questioned.

"My former sister-in-law. Clarissa. She and her boyfriend are going on a cruise for their one year anniversary and they asked if I could keep Zane while they're gone. Zane is my three year old nephew." Ezra held a sense of pride for his nephew. Zane was always attached to Ezra's hip whenever he visited. Ezra loved that kid to death.

"When exactly is he staying with you?" she asked excitedly.

Grinning at her excitement, he replied casually, "Next week," The smile instantly fell from Maria's face which caused Ezra to do the same. "What's wrong?"

"Remember that friend of my father's? The one who died? Well, his wife is having this party type thing for him and I promised my father I'd help him through it. I was actually going to invite you to go. Introduce you to my father." Ezra closed his eyes.

Standing from the chair, he turned and wrapped his arms around Maria's waist. Wrapping her arms loosely around his neck, she stuck out her bottom lip. Smiling, Ezra leaned in and kissed her sweetly. "Well, I'd come but I doubt this party is the type of party a three year old should attend. How long are you going to be gone for?" he asked quietly playing with the hem of her shirt.

Looking down at his hands, she whispered, "The whole week. Family is also coming into town to celebrate by aunts birthday so I sort of promised Dad that I'd stick around for that." Ezra nodded not looking at her. Sighing, Maria tilted his chin up with her pointer finger. Wrapping her arms back around his neck, she leaned in and kissed him. In an instant the kiss became heated and they soon ended up in bed.

**Aria POV**

Aria stood in line at the coffee shop with her wallet in hand. Her friends were sitting in a booth in the corner waiting for her to get her coffee and join them. Once she received and paid for it, she slid into the booth beside Emily.

"So, how are you and Clark?" Hanna asked with a knowing smile.

Aria went to go take a sip of her coffee pausing mid sip and stared at Hanna over the top of the cup. Slowly bringing it down, she looked at the others. "Fine," she concluded. She had yet to tell them about the eventful day they shared together. She wasn't sure what her friends would think about her actions. Hannah might not have a problem with it but she wasn't so sure about Spencer and Emily. She also hadn't mentioned that Clark had told her he loved her.

Hanna raised an eyebrow. "And…?" Aria shook her head. "Oh, come on! You're hiding something. I can tell by the I-just-got-caught face."

"Oh, is that the face you had when you got caught stealing?" Spencer asked. Emily and Aria chuckled. Hanna narrowed her eyes at Spencer and nudged her with her shoulder. Spencer smiled at Aria and Emily.

"Shut up, Spence. Aria, seriously, what's going on?"

Sighing, Aria filled them in on everything. As expected, Hanna was happy for her. Spencer and Emily didn't say anything about the sex part but cooed when she told them what Clark had said. Aria couldn't help but beam at her friends. She bit her lip trying to hide the smile but apparently failed when her friend's smiles got wider. She could feel the heat rise in her cheeks as she continued to smile widely.

They sat in that coffee shop for hours talking about boys, shopping, and anything else that came up. Aria hadn't missed Rosewood while she was in Iceland. Hell, she wished she could go back. But this was one thing she had missed, her friends.

"You guys do realize what tomorrow is, right?" Emily asked quietly after being kicked out of the coffee shop. Stepping into the night, everyone looked at her. Of course they knew. Alison would be sixteen tomorrow. Silence took over them.

"Should we do something tomorrow after school? Like have a dinner and invite her family and our family's?" Aria asked.

"I think my mom would allow us to have the party at our house. You don't think it'd be too late of a notice for Mr. and Mrs. DiLaurentis?" Spencer wondered. The girls just shrugged. "I'll call them." With that said, they all went their separate ways.

"Mom? Dad?" Aria hollered. Her parents came around the corner followed by her brother, Mike. He had been scarce ever since they got back. He had missed Rosewood while they were away so he was probably spending every day living it up with his old friends.

"Yeah, sweetie?" Her mother questioned.

"I know you might not be up for it but we're having a dinner thing at the Hastings' house tomorrow after school for Alison's birthday. Do you want to come?" she asked. Before her mother could answer, she put in, "You don't have to if you don't feel up to it!"

Ella smiled. "I'll tell you what. I go back to work tomorrow. If I feel up to it after work I'll come. If not, well…" Ella motioned her head to the side letting them finish the sentence themselves.

"Wait. You're going back to work already? Isn't it a bit soon? I mean you just got out of the hospital,"

"Well, my doctor has released me to go back to work. I'm tired of being here all day. I miss my students and work." Aria nodded in understanding. Her mother was always doing something. Whether it be painting or working, she had to be doing something at all times.

Aria smiled. "Okay. What about you two?" she asked looking over at her brother and father. Her dad nodded his affirmation. All three peered over at Mike. He looked at each of them.

"I can't. I'm having a pick-up game tomorrow. Besides, she wasn't my friend," he muttered before stalking up the steps. Aria clenched her jaw and looked down.

"Don't mind him, Aria. He's been like that since we got back," Byron said. Aria nodded before going to her room.

**Ezra POV**

Ezra hummed as he wrote an assignment on his chalk board. Maria had left this morning for Ohio and Clarissa and Nick were dropping Zane off at the school at the end of fourth period. He hadn't seen Zane is three months and he was excited.

"Good morning," he heard the sweet voice say behind him. Turning, he smiled at Aria.

"Good morning, Miss. Montgomery," he replied with a bright smile.

"Wow, someone is in a good mood this morning."

"Well, that's what happens when a guy finds out his nephew will be staying with him for the next week," Ezra continued to smile. Aria returned the smile. They stared at each other for a little while before students started to file in then Aria took her seat.

"Ezra," he heard from the doorway at the start of his free period. Ezra looked up from his planning book and gave Ella a soft smile motioning for her to come in.

"Ella," he reached out and shook her hand. "I'm surprised to see you back at work already."

Ella shrugged her shoulders once and smirked. "It was just a car accident, no biggie." Ezra could tell she was still hurting over the baby situation. She was avoiding the subject though so he didn't point it out.

"So, what can I do for you?" he questioned.

"Oh, right. I was wondering if you were doing anything this evening. Aria and her friends are throwing a party for Alison DiLaurentis' birthday and Byron just texted me and told me he has meetings all day at work. He won't be able to make it and I don't want to go alone. I don't really fit in well with Aria's friends parents."

Ezra opened his mouth slightly. "Well, I, uh, I'm not doing anything."

"Great! So, you'll come?"

"Uh, sure. Oh wait! My nephew is staying with me for a few days, is it okay if he comes?" Ezra asked before she left. Turning back to him, she nodded, smiled and walked away. Ezra scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion. Did it seem like Ella was…flirting? Ezra closed his eyes, smiled, and shook his head ridding himself of those ridiculous thoughts.

The end of the day came soon enough. His fourth period class was still packing up their things when an announcement came over the intercom, asking for Mr. Fitz to report to the main office. He smiled to himself as he walked out the door in the direction of the office. As he walked up to the door, he saw Clarissa and Zane standing there with their backs to him.

Opening the door and closing it softly, he slowly walked up behind Zane. In the blink of an eye, Ezra grabbed him around the waist and lifted him above his head. The little boy instantly chuckled as Ezra made a growling noise. He brought Zane back down into his arms and turned him to face him. Zane threw his arms around Ezra.

"Uncle Ez!" The boy screamed in delight. Ezra laughed and leaned in to peck the boy on the cheek quickly. Zane grinned widely and scrunched up his nose.

"Hey, Clarissa." Ezra put an arm around the woman and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.

She smiled. "Hey, Ezra." They looked at each other knowingly. Ezra wasn't proud of it, but after Nate and Clarissa had separated, he spent a lot of his time over at Clarissa's with Zane. Not only did he spend time with Zane but he spent time with Clarissa also. He had gained feelings for her. They had shared one kiss and promised never to do it again because of his brother. Ezra wasn't sure what his feelings for Clarissa were exactly but he would never do anything to hurt his brother.

Clearing his throat, Ezra asked, "So, if Nate calls…?" He left the sentence hanging.

Clarissa nodded. "You can tell him Zane is with you. He can see him but you have to be there, Ezra. I trust you not to leave my son with him alone," Clarissa looked at him sternly.

Ezra nodded and looked at the boy in his arms. He was cuddled up in his arms with his forehead resting against Ezra's neck. "He's trying to change, Clarissa," he muttered.

Clarissa just nodded slightly before smiling at Zane. "Okay, buddy. Mommy has to go. You going to be okay with Uncle Ezra while I'm gone?" Zane nodded against Ezra's neck. Clarissa held out her hands for Zane to climb in them. She hugged him close to her before placing a kiss on his cheek. "I put his car seat in your car already along with some other stuff." She said to Ezra who nodded in return.

"Bye-bye, Mommy." Clarissa grinned at the boy.

"Bye-bye, baby," she replied before handing him back over to Ezra. Ezra held him as all three walked out of the office. Ezra stood by the office doors and watched as Clarissa made her way to the main entrance. Before going out, she turned.

"Wave bye to Mommy, Zane," Zane lifted his hand and waved it vigorously back and forth. She gave a small wave in return before she was gone.

Ezra turned to Zane who was already staring at him with big, bright blue eyes. Ezra scrunched up his face and made a weird face. Zane giggled. "You up for a dinner party, buddy?"

Zane tilted his head in thought before nodding. Ezra smiled and walked to the teacher's parking lot.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**Aria POV**

"So, the DiLaurentis' can't make it?" Emily asked. Spencer nodded sadly.

Aria finished chewing a bite of her salad before asking, "Why not?"

"They didn't really give me a reason. I don't believe they had other plans I just think it may be hard for them with Alison still missing," Spencer replied. The girls nodded in understanding. They were all dealing with Alison's disappearance in their own way. Her having gone missing during their sleepover while they were sleeping took its toll on the girl's friendship. That was the main reason for the loss of communication while Aria was in Iceland. Sure they talked in that year but it was never like before.

"So, is Clark coming?" Hanna questioned biting her lip as she smiled. Aria looked down and fiddled with her fork. The smile fell from Hanna's face. "He's not?"

Aria shook her head. "We got into a small argument this morning. Nothing big." Hanna nodded. The girls ate their food in silence.

The girls all turned in unison at the sound of girls cooing over at the cafeteria doorway. Aria smiled at the sight of Ezra with Zane. Zane was wrapped up in Ezra's arms with his face hidden in Ezra's neck.

"Is that Mr. Fitz's son?" Hanna practically shouted. Spencer, Emily, and Hanna were staring at the two of them with their mouths agape. Aria smiled, rolled her eyes, and shook her head slightly as she forced a forkful of salad into her mouth. Hanna looked at her. "What? Do you know something we don't?"

After she finished chewing, Aria answered, "That's Zane, Ezra's nephew."

The girls all looked at each other with pursed lips and raised eyebrows before all three sets of eyes rested on Aria. Looking at each of them, Aria scrunched her eyebrows together. "Ezra?" Spencer asked. Aria's eyes widened in realization.

"Well, I, uh," Aria hadn't told her friends about staying with him while her mother was in the hospital. Aria closed her eyes to compose her thoughts before answering their unasked questions, "While my mother was in the hospital I stayed with him. He said something along the lines of that we're roommates and that I should call him Ezra while I was staying with him."

Hanna smiled to the girls. "Okay. How in the hell did you end up staying with Mr. Fitz?"

Aria smiled slightly. "Well, he came to visit my mom in the hospital," Aria paused as the girls cooed. Aria rolled her eyes and continued, "My dad didn't want me staying at the hospital or alone at home so he asked Ez- Mr. Fitz if I could stay with him which, obviously, he said was okay."

Hanna leaned in and whispered loudly, "So where did the two of you sleep?"

"Not together." Aria made a point to tell Hanna that. Hanna sat back with disappointment on her face. Aria narrowed her eyes at her and Hanna raised her shoulders in exasperation. "He slept on the couch and I slept in his bed."

"So, you've met his nephew? What's his name again?" Spencer asked getting them back on topic.

"Zane and no I haven't met him. I found a picture of him on Mr. Fitz's desk in his apartment and asked about him. He loves that boy to death." Aria smiled in remembrance.

"Did anything happen?" Hanna asked. Aria stared at her for a moment so Hanna elaborated. "Between you and Ezra." She purred his name and chuckled when Aria blushed. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open. "Oh my Gosh! Something did happen, didn't it?"

The blush deepened. Hanna and the girls immediately sat up straighter and cleared their throats as they looked above her head. She leaned her head back and looked up and was met by two pairs of blue eyes. She smiled up at them before looking back at the girls. She slowly turned around in her seat.

"Aria, I'd like you to meet my nephew, Zane. Zane can you say hello to Aria?" he asked the boy. Zane stared at her for a little while with wide, bright blue eyes. Aria smiled at him. The boy smiled and then hid in Ezra's neck. Aria chuckled.

"Well, hello Zane. I've heard a lot about you." She reached up and lightly pinched his side causing the boy to let out a giggle.

"He doesn't talk to strangers so don't take it personally. You're lucky you got a smile and a giggle out of him," Ezra said smiling down at her. Aria returned it. They looked into each others eyes for the longest time before Hanna cleared her throat and Ezra instantly averted his attention back to Zane. "Okay, buddy. You ready to go?" The boy nodded against his neck. Ezra turned back to the girls. "I guess we should go. I'll see you girls tonight." Ezra turned to leave but Aria stopped him.

"Tonight?" she questioned.

"Uh, yes. You're mother invited me to the dinner for Alison DiLaurentis' birthday." The girls looked at one another. "I-I hope you don't mind."

Aria smiled reassuringly. "No, we don't mind. It's just, why would my mom invite you?" She asked.

Ezra shrugged and readjusted Zane on his hip. "She said your father couldn't make it and that she wanted me to go." Aria smiled and nodded. Ezra smiled and left.

Aria watched him leave before slowly turning around and looking down at her plate. She looked up at her friends. "Why would my mom want him to come?"

Emily always being the caring one, answered, "I'm sure it's nothing. Maybe she wants to think him for taking care of you while she was unable to." Aria nodded unbelievingly.

**Ezra POV**

Ezra stood in front of the full length mirror putting on his white tie when he felt someone push on his leg. "Move, Uncle Ez! I need to look!" Ezra moved out of the way as he finished doing his tie. He smiled when he saw Zane's appearance.

"Aren't you a bit dressed up for a three year old? I mean it's just dinner, Zane," Ezra questioned. Zane stood in the mirror looking at himself. He had a light purple button down on with a grey vest on over it and dark grey dress pants. Zane ran his hands through his hair trying to spike it. He turned to Ezra and looked up at him with big eyes.

"Awia is gonna be der," he stated before turning back to the mirror and trying to spike his hair again.

"Ah," Ezra smiled and nodded. He disappeared into the bathroom and came back with a bottle in his hands. "Here, turn around." Zane turned to him. Ezra put some gel in his hands and ran it through Zane's hair. He ruffled it up giving it the messed up look. "How's that?" he asked and motioned for him to look in the mirror.

Zane looked in the mirror and grinned. He turned back to Ezra and threw his arms around his neck. "Fank you!" Ezra nodded. Ezra went stand when Zane put his hands on his shoulders. "Wait! My tie!" Zane ran to his suitcase and pulled out a purple and grey striped tie before running back to Ezra. Zane handed it to him and Ezra tied it around Zane's neck. "How I look, Uncle Ez?" the boy asked stepping back and spreading his arms out wide and tilting his head to the side with a wide grin plastered on his face. Ezra smiled.

"Handsome. Aria will love it. I have a question though. What makes you think getting dressed up will impress her?" Ezra wondered. Zane shrugged his shoulders.

"You dress up," he said. "Awia likes you." Ezra smiled softly. Zane could see that?

"You ready to go, Little Man?" he asked. Zane held up one finger and stepped up to Ezra. He ran his hands through Ezra's hair giving him the messed up look. Zane grinned at Ezra.

"Now I am!" he shouted cheerfully. Ezra scooped him up in his arms and laughed.

**Aria POV**

Aria looked in the mirror and smiled. She had on a yellow top that featured a short, flow sleeve silhouette with a scoop neckline, gathered bustline, and flowing bodice. The top was coupled with a pair of white short shorts. Her make up was light and her hair was curled. This wasn't what Aria had originally planned to wear but ever since she found out Ezra would be attending she felt…giddy. She was excited that he was going to be there. The same guy she kept telling herself to forget about was going to be at a party with her and her friends. Not only that but he was bringing along his adorable nephew. Aria smiled in satisfaction as she scanned her body in the mirror. She bounded down the stairs when she heard her mother call for her.

"You ready, sweetie?" Ella asked. Aria smiled widely and nodded. "Well, you look lovely."

"Thanks," she said as the three Montgomery's piled into their car.

On the way to Spencer's house, Ezra had called Ella for directions. Aria strained to hear his voice through the phone. Just the sound of his voice sent butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

Aria was helping Spencer set up the table and chairs. She was constantly looking at the gate to see if Ezra and Zane were there.

"Aria, he isn't here yet," Spencer said agitated. Aria sighed. Her head shot up when she heard the gate slam closed. She smiled when she saw Ezra walk in with Zane. She let her eyes scan his body as she bit her lip. He was wearing a black fitted button down with the sleeves rolled up to the middle of his forearm. The shirt was tucked into a pair of black fitted jeans. The white tie brought out the brightness of his eyes. His hair was different. It was messed up and only slightly curly. She blushed and waved when she looked at his face and he was staring back at her with amusement in his eyes. He grinned at her and gave a small wave back.

She turned back to her duty at hand and set up some chairs. She felt a soft tug on her shorts. She looked down and grinned at the little boy. He reached up his right hand and handed her a single red rose. She grabbed it and brought a hand to her chest. "For me?" she questioned. Zane smiled and nodded. 'Well, thank you, sweetheart," she sniffed the rose and smiled down at him. He looked down and swung his hips from one side to the other.

Zane looked up at Aria and used his pointer finger to motion for her to come down to his level. She bent down and looked at him. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "You look pretty," he whispered.

"Awwwe! Thank you! You look very handsome," Zane smiled and ran his hand down his tie. Aria looked up when she saw a pair of legs step up behind Zane.

"He's a sweet talker," Ezra soothed. Aria smiled. She stood up and looked in Ezra's eyes. "I'm surprised you got him to talk. Actually, no I'm not surprised." Ezra smiled at her. Aria blushed and looked down at Zane. Zane stepped closer to Ezra and wrapped his arms around his leg.

"Well, looks like someone is an Uncles boy," she said. Ezra laughed.

"Yeah, he's my Little Man." Ezra motioned to the flower in her hands. "He made me stop and get you the flower." Aria looked down at it and smiled. She broke part of the step and then stuck the flower in her hair.

"It's beautiful. Thank you," she said sincerely looking him in the eye. Ezra smiled softly and nodded.

"It is," he said seductively. He wasn't looking at the flower. Clearing his throat, he looked down at Zane.

"Okay, buddy. Let's leave Aria alone so she can hang with her friends." Zane glanced up at Ezra and nodded sadly.

Aria bent back down to eye level. "I'll come hang with you in a few, okay?" Zane's face lit and he nodded happily.

Ezra chuckled. "You just made his day."

**Ezra POV**

Ezra was standing with Ella and Miss. Marin as he sipped his wine. He found himself unable to pay much attention to the conversation. Aria and her friends were sitting on the ground in a circle playing with Zane. Aria was tickling him and Zane was lying on his back giggling crazily. Ezra smiled at the sight.

"She's great with kids," he heard Ella say. Turning back to her, he smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, Zane really likes her. I didn't pick that outfit out, he did. He said he wanted to impress Aria." Ezra smiled. The attraction to Aria must run in the Fitz family. Ezra shook his head slightly.

"He's a really sweet kid. Not much of a talker though," Miss. Marin said.

"He doesn't talk to strangers. I was a little surprised when he told Aria she looked pretty today." That was something Ezra had to agree with. Aria looked carefree and beautiful.

Ella smiled knowingly. "Why doesn't he talk to strangers? I mean not that that is a bad thing but I'm curious." The smile fell from his face. Ella saw it and spoke again, "You don't have to tell me."

"Uh, no it's fine," Ezra breathed out and looked down. He looked back up. "My brother was very strict toward Zane. He never laid a hand on him but he would yell at him for little things. I think that kind of shut Zane down." Ezra looked over at the group. Zane was on the outside of the circle walking behind them and patting them on the head. He patted Aria's head and she stood up and chased him around the group. Ezra smiled.

"Well, Zane is adorable. He certainly has your charm," Ella said. Ezra blushed and smiled. "He's practically attached to your hip."

"Yeah. We have this sort of bond I guess. Clarissa, my brother's ex-wife, let's me see him whenever I want. I haven't been able to visit as much as I used to due to my job and the preparation for work over the summer." Zane walked over to them. Ezra bent down. "You having fun?"

Zane nodded. He let out a big yawn and blinked rapidly. "Okay, I think we better head home."

"No!" Zane whined.

Ezra picked him up. "Yes!" Ezra whined back. Zane gave him a mean look. "It's about your bedtime." Zane nodded sadly. He looked back at Aria. Ezra sighed. "Go say goodbye to Aria." He set Zane down and watched him run over to Aria. Aria was still sitting in the grass. She smiled at him and opened her arms out wide. Zane giggled and fell into them with his arms around her torso. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and rocked them from side to side. She let go of him and he kissed her on the cheek again.

Turning back to Ella, Ezra stated, "I'll give him credit. He is very smooth with the ladies." Ella and Miss. Marin laughed. Ezra chuckled and turned back to Zane who was now standing at his feet with his arms up in the air. Ezra picked him up and Zane instantly let his head fall to Ezra's shoulder. Ezra said his goodbyes and made eye contact with Aria as he walked to the car. Zane was asleep before they left the driveway.

**Aria POV**

She couldn't get Ezra out of her head. Her feelings for him were obviously not going away. Being with Clark only made her put aside her feelings for him but they were always looming around. The night she made love with Clark, something seemed off but she had dismissed it determined to forget about Ezra Fitz and let Clark Riley be the man of her dreams. But wanting something is different than actually getting it.

She lay in bed that night staring up at the ceiling. Thoughts of him filled her mind keeping her from getting any sleep. Sighing, she threw the covers off of her and swung her feet over the side of the bed. She went to her dresser and pulled out a pair of white fleece short shorts and a big black sweatshirt. She tied her hair up in a ponytail, grabbed her keys, and pulled her door open softly and silently. She crept downstairs and opened the front door before slipping out.

She knocked on the door softly. It was three thirty and she was standing at this mans door. She turned to leave when the door swung open. The man rubbed his eyes and yawned out her name. She smiled and waved slightly. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk. I hope I didn't wake your mother." Clark shook his head. He motioned for her to come in but she shook her head. "Can we talk out here?"

Clark stepped out and closed the door softly behind him before they both took a seat on the steps. Aria stuck her hands in the pocket of her sweatshirt and looked straight ahead. "Aria, it's three thirty. What's up?"

"I think we should break up," she rushed out. Clark stared at her. For the longest time he remained silent and just stared at her.

"What the hell? One small argument and you run?" Clark shouted.

"Clark, keep your voice down!" Aria whispered loudly.

She looked in his eyes and was surprised by the fury she saw there. "The hell I will! What, all you wanted was the sex?" he asked harshly.

Aria looked over at him in shock. "Come on, Clark! You know me better than that!" She sighed. "I have feelings for someone else, okay. I just don't feel comfortable doing this anymore. Every day I feel like I'm cheating on you."

"This is about Fitz, isn't it?" Aria looked away from him. "It's just a schoolgirl crush, Aria."

"No." Aria paused. "It's more than that…I think."

"You think? You're giving up on us for something you 'think' you have for a teacher who would never want you?" Aria looked over at him. Tears sprang to her eyes and she quickly looked away. Maybe Clark was right. Maybe Ezra wouldn't want her. She sniffled.

"It doesn't matter. I have feelings for him and I can't be with you while I have these feelings."

Clark clenched his jaw and stared straight ahead. "You're nothing but a slut." Hastily, he got up and walked inside slamming the door behind him. Aria bit the inside of her cheek and let a few silent tears make their way down her cheek. She wiped them away with her sleeve and got up to get in her car.

She drove. She didn't know where she was going but she didn't want to be home to cry in her pillow. She parked her car and walked up the steps to his apartment in a trance. She knocked on the door. She didn't care what time it was, she needed him. Ezra opened the door in nothing but a pair of sweatpants.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Did I wake you?"

"No. I was doing some reading," he whispered back. When she looked up from the floor, his face softened. He opened his arms and Aria fell into them as she sobbed. He held her. He pulled her into his apartment and closed the door softly behind them.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**Ezra POV**

He looked at the girl sitting on his couch staring straight ahead. She seemed broken and distant. What had happened since he saw her? He poured the coffee he had made into a mug and walked it over to her. She clutched the burning mug in her hand and never even flinched. Ezra sat down in the chair across from her silently. He studied her as she sipped her coffee and refused to look at him. Her tears had subsided but the streaks down her face were still evident.

"Aria?" She didn't move. She focused down at the liquid in the cup as she clutched the mug tighter until her knuckles turned white. "Aria?" he said a little louder. The slight turn of her head indicated that she had in fact heard him. Sighing, he asked, "What happened after I left Spencer's?"

For the first time since arriving, she looked up at him with defeated eyes. "I went to see Clark," she whispered. She said it so quietly he had to strain to hear her.

"Aria, did he hurt you?" Ezra asked forcefully. Aria shook her head. Ezra stared at her with his mouth slightly agape.

"Not physically, anyway," she clarified a little louder. Ezra tilted his head slightly. "I told him we had to break up and he got a little angry." Ezra nodded. Happiness at the fact that she had broken up with him filled him. He smiled slightly to himself but it soon vanished.

"Did he say something to get you upset?"

Aria looked up at Ezra wordlessly. Ezra stood up and walked around the coffee table to sit next to her. He relinquished the coffee from her firm grip and sat it on the coffee table before wrapping his arm loosely around her shoulders. "Whatever he said," Ezra whispered, "doesn't matter."

Aria looked over at him with tears forming in her eyes once again. "He said I was a slut."

Ezra clenched his jaw and firmly gripped her shoulder. "You're not a slut, Aria. You are this amazing, beautiful, down to earth girl. He doesn't deserve you." The corners of Aria's mouth tugged up slightly. Ezra smiled back comfortingly. Aria looked at his lips. She reached up and cupped his face before leaning forward and placing her lips on his. Closing his eyes, Ezra returned the soft kiss. When Aria pulled away, he opened his eyes.

Ezra was about to apologize when she swung her leg over his legs and sat on his lap facing him. Caught of guard, Ezra sat their motionlessly as Aria cupped his face with both hands and forcefully kissed him. It took him a moment but Ezra soon returned the kiss placing his hands on her hips. He pulled on her hips in an attempt to pull her closer which wasn't possible. The kiss grew heated. Aria began to lift the hem of his shirt when he pulled away.

"Aria, we can't," he whispered holding up his hands. Aria clenched her jaw.

"Why? Do you not like me that way?" Aria exasperated. "Look, I will transfer out of your class…"

"That's not it," he stated firmly.

"Miss. Sanchez?" she questioned. Ezra blinked a little caught off guard.

Sighing, he nodded, "Maria and the fact that my nephew is in the room." Ezra looked over at the sleeping toddler in his bed. Aria looked over too and closed her eyes smiling. Ezra grinned up at her.

"Right. I forgot." Aria pinched the bridge of her nose and slid off his lap. Ezra chuckled and looked down before looking back at her. "What about Maria?" she asked.

The smile slowly faded from his face. "She's pregnant," he blurted out. Aria's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. Ezra closed his eyes when he realized he had said it.

Aria looked around his room rapidly obviously unsure of what to say. "I'm- I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come." Aria got up off the couch and bounded for the door. Ezra quickly reacted and followed her. Just before she got to the door he grabbed her arm.

"It's not mine," he informed her. She turned to him with confused eyes. "She was raped…before we met. She just told me a few days ago. I don't know what to do." He let go of her arm and looked down. "I mean how can I just dump her under the circumstances?"

Aria stepped forward and lifted his head with her fingers. "What do you want?" she asked emphasizing want. Ezra was silent for a moment. Aria dropped her hand defeated before sighing and turning to the door.

She opened it and was about to step out when he said, "You." Aria spun around and was met with his lips crashing down on hers hungrily. He placed his hands on the side of her face and slowed the kiss as he ran his thumb lightly over her cheeks. She hooked her arms under his armpit and rested her hands on his shoulders pulling him closer. He let go of one side her face long enough to close the door.

Smiling into the kiss, he began walking backward. She smiled too and followed. He fell back on the couch taking her with him. She giggled as she landed on top of him. He was chuckling also but held up a finger to his lips. She immediately bit down on her tongue in an attempt to calm down when he pointed over at Zane. She smiled silently and leaned down to kiss him.

**Aria POV**

"Awia?" she heard someone whisper. Slowly opening her eyes, she was met by icy blue ones staring at her in confusion. Her eyes adjusted to the sunlight that was seeping in through the curtains. She rolled over onto her side with her back to the back of the couch. She looked down at Ezra who was snoring softly before looking over at Zane. She stood up and smiled down at Zane. He was wearing a white tee with The Animaniacs plastered on the front of it with a pair of black pajama bottoms. Encircled by his arms was a brown teddy bear. She reached down and picked him up.

"Hey buddy," she whispered as she walked him over to the bed. She sat him down on it before she herself took a seat. She looked over and saw a blanket with The Amaniacs on it. "Isn't this a little before your time?" she questioned referring to the '90's cartoon.

Zane looked at her confused. Aria chuckled and shook her head. "Why were you sweeping on Uncle Ez?" Zane asked innocently. Aria opened her mouth to answer when she heard a grunt come from the couch.

"Ezra?" she shouted. He sat up and stretched.

"Hmmm?" he let out. He peered over at them.

Aria smiled. "Zane has something to ask you." Ezra looked over at Zane before getting up and joining them on the bed.

"What's up buddy?" he asked.

Zane looked between the pair. "Why was Awia sweeping on you?"

Ezra's eyes widened. "Well, I-we-uh," Ezra looked over at Aria who silently shook her head as she bit back a smile. Ezra looked back at Zane trying to come up with a good excuse. Not finding one, he changed the subject, "So, who's hungry? I can make something for us to eat."

Zane scrunched up his nose. "Your food is nasty." Aria let out a snort and quickly covered her mouth when Ezra shot her a look.

Aria removed her hand and shrugged. "The boy has a point." Aria smiled innocently. Ezra rolled his eyes.

"Okay, so my cooking isn't the best thing in the world but it's not the worst either," Ezra defended himself.

"Comes pwetty close," Zane whispered to Aria after Ezra started heading to the kitchen. Aria smiled at the boy and wrapped her arm around his shoulders pulling him in for a sideways hug.

"I know but try and be nice about it," she whispered in his ear. Zane looked up at her and smiled.

"Stop whispering about me as if I'm not here and don't know what you're talking about!" they heard Ezra shout from the kitchen. Aria and Zane giggled. Aria got off the bed and held out her arms for Zane. Dropping the teddy bear, Zane wrapped his arms tightly around Aria's neck and his legs around her waist as she picked him up. She walked into the kitchen and sat him down on the counter. She walked over to Ezra and placed a hand on his lower back before leaning up and kissing him on the cheek then again on the lips when he turned his head toward her.

"Ewww!" Zane shrieked. Ezra and Aria smiled at each other before Ezra turned back to the stove and Aria to Zane. She tickled his stomach. Zane giggled.

A buzzing noise was heard in the living room. Aria walked over and picked her phone up off the coffee table.

_Where are you?_

_-Ella_

Crap! Aria forgot that she had left in the middle of the night. Thinking fast, she texted back that she was at Spencer's and that she forgot to leave her a note. When Ella texted back with an okay, Aria let out a sigh of relief. Ezra came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Everything alright?" he asked. Aria nodded, rested her hands over his, and leaned back against his chest. She heard a small crash and looked over to see Zane smashing some matchbox cars into each other and making explosion noises. She smiled at the sight and then looked up at Ezra. He smiled back and leaned down to kiss her.

**Ezra POV**

It was mid-evening when Aria got a text from her mother telling her to come home. Aria had spent several minutes kissing Ezra goodbye before she had left. Zane had dozed off soon after. Aria had spent the whole day with him and Zane. She got along great with Zane and he adored her. Then again, who couldn't adore Aria? She was enchanting, beautiful, intelligent, caring, and mature beyond her years. He was literally falling for this girl, his student. He shook his head. He had to do something about that. Ezra sat back in the sofa with a satisfied smile.

Ezra looked over at the door when he heard a knock upon it. Grinning, he stood up and rushed over to it, whipping it open. His smile fell when he saw Maria standing on the other side instead of Aria.

"Maria," he stated surprised. She smiled at him and kissed him before pushing her way past him into the threshold. He closed the door slowly. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in Ohio."

"I told dad about your nephew spending the week with you and he put me on the first plane back so that I wouldn't miss it. Isn't this great?" she shrieked. Ezra flinched slightly. Not the words he would have chosen.

"Uncle Ez?" he heard a small voice say from his bed. He looked over to see Zane sitting up and looking over at them. Ezra sighed and walked over to him picking him up. So much for Zane sleeping. Once he was awake there was a good chance he wouldn't go back to sleep. Walking back over to Maria, he introduced them.

"Maria this is Zane. Zane this is Maria, my," Ezra paused slightly, "girlfriend." Zane looked at him puzzled. He had every right to be confused. He sees Ezra being lovey-dovey with Aria yet says this mystery woman is his girlfriend. Hell, even Ezra was confused.

Maria smiled. "Well, hello there," she said babylike. Zane narrowed his eyes much like Ezra did when he was being patronized.

"I'm three," the boy said angrily.

"I know." Maria was babying him and Zane hated that. Everyone treated Zane as if he were a baby. He was very much like Ezra when it came to intelligence. Zane was smarter than the average three year old. Sure, he talked like one but he knew things well beyond his years.

"He doesn't like to be babied," Ezra informed her.

Maria nodded and held out her hands and motioned for Ezra to hand him off to her. Zane was quick to wrap his arms around Ezra's neck and say, "No!" The smile fell from Maria's face instantly. She stood a little straighter and cleared her throat. Ezra smiled apologetically.

Ezra placed Zane back in the bed while Maria made her way to the living room. He pulled the covers over Zane. "Uncle Ez?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah?" Ezra whispered back.

"Can you sing me to sweep?" Ezra used to sing to Zane to get him to sleep when he was a baby. In fact, Clarissa had recorded him for when he wasn't around because it was one of the only things that would get him to sleep.

Ezra nodded. "What song?" he questioned knowing what song the boy would pick.

Zane smiled from ear to ear and said, "Open Arms!" Zane had definitely got his taste in music from Ezra. Open Arms by Journey was one of the songs Ezra had always loved and from the first time he sang it to Zane he loved it as well.

Grinning, Ezra began to sing softly,

_Lying beside you here in the dark  
>Feeling your heart beat with mine<br>Softly you whisper, you're so sincere  
>How could our love be so blind?<em>

_We sailed on together  
>We drifted apart<br>And here you are by my side_

_So now I come to you with open arms  
>Nothing to hide, believe what I say<br>So here I am with open arms  
>Hoping you'll see what your love means to me, open arms<em>

Within minutes Zane was snoring softly with his thumb in his mouth and cuddled up with his blanket. Ezra smiled and walked into the living room. Sighing, he sat down beside Maria putting a little space between them. "He's asleep."

Maria nodded. "He doesn't like me," she stated.

Ezra figured he wouldn't. Zane didn't take to people really well. Aria was an exception. "Don't take it personally, Maria. You're lucky he even talked to you. He doesn't usually even do that. He's not really a people person." Maria nodded in understanding. Scooting closer to Ezra, she cupped his cheek and leaned in to kiss him. Ezra turned his head slightly and said, "Not tonight, okay? I've been busy all day and I just want to get some much needed sleep." Maria was stunned but nodded and got up and left.

Ezra knew he had to talk to her about their relationship but he didn't want to have that discussion with Zane in the room. He wasn't sure how Maria would take the fact that he wanted to break up and he wasn't about to get Zane involved. Sighing, Ezra lied down on the couch and fell asleep.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**Aria POV**

"This is nice," Aria smiled to her parents. They sat at a table in the middle of the restaurant. Byron and Ella were sitting across from her while Mike sat to her right pushing the steak around on his plate with his fork. His elbow was propped up on the table and his clenched fist was holding his head up. "Isn't it, Mike?" Without lifting his head from his hand, Mike looked over at Aria.

Finally lifting his head up, he laid his arm down and gave a sarcastic smile. "Yeah, great." Byron shot him a look and he returned to his steak.

"I haven't seen Clark in a while," Ella spoke up hoping to steer the conversation positive territory. Fail.

"We, uh, broke up," Aria said. Ella closed her eyes and smiled apologetically. "It's fine. I don't think I was ever really that into him. I mean I liked him obviously but I may have stronger feelings for…someone else." Ella raised her eyebrows and looked over at Byron with a smile before turning back to Aria.

"And who is this someone else?" she asked innocently. Aria's eyes grew wide and she opened her mouth to answer with a lie.

"Awia!" she spun around in her seat and immediately grinned as the little boy climbed down from Ezra's arms. Her smile faltered when she saw Maria with them but she made sure to mask it for Zane. She scooted her chair out and she turned in it as the boy ran up. She opened her arms which he jumped in. She sat him on her lap.

"Hey, buddy!" The boy squealed with delight as Aria poked him in the stomach. Ezra walked up beside them and smiled down at them. Aria looked up. "Hey," she soothed.

"Hey," he said back. He smiled down at her until a throat clearing behind him made him turn. Maria was clenching her jaw at the sight of Aria and Zane but Aria didn't care. "We should probably get going. We have a whole day planned ahead." Ezra looked down at Aria with sad eyes.

"Can I stay wit Awia?" Zane asked with pleading eyes. Ezra was about to protest until he remembered he needed to talk to Maria alone.

"Um, sure. I-I mean if that's okay with Aria." He motioned his hand to Aria. She grinned up at him and nodded. Turning his attention to her parents, he smiled and said, "It was nice seeing you again Byron and Ella." They returned the sentiment as he turned and grabbed Maria's hand leading her out of the restaurant.

"Hello again, Zane," Ella cooed. Zane smiled over at her and waved before burying his face in Aria's neck.

"Oh, Dad, this is Zane, Ez-Mr. Fitz's nephew." Aria caught herself but her parents gave her an odd look. They must have noticed the slight slip of the tongue.

Ignoring his daughters slip, Byron looked at the boy. "Hi, Zane. I'm Byron." Zane peeked his eyes out from Aria's neck slightly before hiding them again.

Aria smiled at her dad. "Don't take it personally. Mr. Fitz said he doesn't really do much talking to strangers."

"Yeah, well he did seem to take to your daughter pretty fast though." Ella smiled. Aria brightly returned the smile before excusing Zane and herself from the table. They walked out the doors and went for a walk. Zane held tightly to her hand as they walked along the sidewalk of the main street of Rosewood before they came across a playground. Zane quickly asked if he could play for a few minutes which Aria allowed.

**Ezra POV**

"I thought you said Zane didn't take to people well." They had spent the past twenty minutes since they left the restaurant in silence. Ezra kept his eyes on the road ahead.

"Aria's an exception. He took to her well. Something about Aria just makes you love her." Ezra bit his lip as he realized how that sounded. Maria stared over at him. Ezra tightened his hold on the wheel as he grew uncomfortable under her gaze. "What?" he asked harshly.

Maria gave a frustrated sigh. "Ezra, you've been nothing but cruel to me since I got back from Ohio. Did I interrupt your week or something? Do you not want me here?" Ezra remained quiet. "Hello?" Maria questioned angrily. Sighing, Ezra pulled over at the park. He got out without a word. Maria sat in the car a few moments as she watched his retreating back. Finally, she got out and stomped after him fuming. "Ezra Fitz, I want a damn answer!" Ezra halted.

Spinning around, Ezra clenched his jaw. He walked up to her. "Look, Maria, I don't mean to be mean, okay? It's just…I…We…I don't think this," he motioned between them, "is going to work." Maria's mouth dropped open.

"What the hell happened while I was away, Ezra?" Ezra swallowed and looked down. "You're breaking up with me? What am I supposed to do? I can't raise a child on my own!" Maria's eyes filled with tears. Ezra looked away.

"Maria, I just…"

"This is about her, isn't it?" she interrupted. Furrowing his brows, Ezra shook his head in confusion. "Aria," she clarified. "Something happened when she was staying with you, didn't it?" Ezra shook his head.

"No," he tried to convince her. "I just started a new job and the stress is pretty bad. I don't need a relationship right now." Maria clenched her jaw as the tears made its way down her cheeks. Ezra went to reach out and wipe them away but Maria smacked his hands away before turning and slowly walking back in the direction they came. Ezra sighed, put on his sunglasses, and looked over at the playground. He squinted when he saw someone he recognized. Smiling, he made his way over to them.

"Hey," Aria jumped at the sound of his voice. Looking up and putting her hand above her eyes to shield them from the blinding sun, she smiled.

"Hey," she said. Ezra plopped down beside her and draped an arm along the back of the seat. Aria leaned back slightly against his arm. Ezra looked over and grinned at her before turning and watching Zane play. "Where's Maria?" Aria asked nonchalantly as she too watched Zane.

Ezra returned his gaze to Aria. He stayed quiet for a little while and then turned back to Zane before stating, "I broke up with her." Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the slight smile play at the corner of Aria's mouth. "I have feelings for someone else," he continued. Aria turned her gaze to him and smiled genuinely. She reached over and squeezed his knee. He grabbed her hand and placed back in her lap as he looked around. Aria frowned.

"Aria, we're still teacher and student." Aria nodded as she bit the inside of her cheek. "I'm looking at other schools in the area. I might end up switching schools. If I do, we can show as much PDA as you'd like. Deal?" Ezra asked her. Aria nodded.

"Uncle Ez!" Ezra turned back to Zane. "What are you doin here?" he asked as he stood in front of him.

"Watching you play." Ezra grinned down at the small boy.

Zane looked around in search for someone. His gaze landed back on Ezra. "Where's your girlfriend?" he asked.

Ezra leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. "We'll talk about that later, okay?" he whispered. Zane looked over at Aria who gave him a slight smile. Zane returned his attention to his uncle and nodded with a smile. Ezra ruffled up his hair. Zane pushed his hand away and gave him an angry glare before trying desperately to fix his hair. When he felt his hair was proper, he turned and went to play again.

"What is with that boy and his hair?" Aria chuckled. Ezra just laughed and shook his head.

Aria and Ezra chatted for awhile before Ezra decided to head home. After giving Aria a quick hug, he grabbed Zane and headed to his car. Once they were alone, Zane bombarded him with questions.

"Whoa!" Ezra held his hands up in surrender. "I can't answer all these questions at once. Can we at least get home first?" Zane was unsatisfied but nodded in agreement.

They walked through the door. Ezra turned after making sure the door was locked and saw Zane standing there looking up at him with big confused blue eyes. Ezra sighed and picked him up and sat him down on the counter. "Okay. What do you want to know?"

Zane took a deep breath. "Mawia," he stated. Ezra nodded.

"Maria and I were dating…"

Zane interrupted, "But you and Awia…" he trailed off. His sad eyes were glistening with tears.

"Hey!" Ezra reached up and wiped the tears as they fell. "Aria and I are…complicated." Zane looked down.

"I want you to date Awia," Zane said. Ezra smiled at the boy.

"I'm working on it. Right now she's my student." Zane looked at his uncle in confusion. Ezra sighed. "I can't date my student. I'm looking at other schools and if I get a job at one of them we may try to date." Zane smiled.

"Are you and Mawia still dating?" Ezra shook his head and Zane's smile got wider. Ezra grinned down at the boy.

"Anything else?" Zane shook his head. "Good. Now, let's get some much needed rest." Ezra picked up his nephew and lifted him above his head like an airplane. Zane giggled as Ezra plopped him down on the bed. Zane got under the sheets and yawned. Ezra leaned down and kissed the boys forehead.

"Wuv you, Uncle Ez,"

Ezra smiled. "Love you, too." Ezra cut out the lights and lied down on the sofa. He was almost asleep when he heard his cell phone beep. He reached down beside the couch where he had laid it and picked it up. He squinted as he read the text.

_Hey, Ezra. It's Aria. Got your number from my moms phone. Sorry if I woke you. _

_-Aria_

Ezra typed back,

_Hey. It's cool. What you doing?_

_-Ezra_

Ezra laid the phone down on his chest as he waited for a response.

_Laying in bed…thinking. You?_

_-Aria_

Ezra smiled.

_Same. What are you thinking about?_

_-Ezra_

_You._

_-Aria_

_Oh, and Zane. But mostly you.(;_

_-Aria_

Ezra chuckled.

_Funny. I was thinking about you, too. (; By the way, I forgot to tell you at the park today that I have gotten some interviews set up for next week for a few schools in the area._

_-Ezra_

_That's great! Where at?_

_-Aria_

_Well, the one I'm hoping to get is at Hollis College. But there are some other high schools that I'm interviewing for._

_-Ezra_

Ezra noticed the longer wait that followed that text. He was contemplating on texting back to see if he said something wrong when his phone beeped.

_You do know my dad works there right?_

_-Aria_

Shit. He hadn't known. What did it matter though? If he worked at Hollis he and Aria could be together and there was nothing wrong with that.

_And…? We'd have to tell your parents sometime, right?_

_-Ezra_

_I guess._

_-Aria_

They spent the next few hours texting. They talked about literature, Zane, their families, and more. Ezra was seriously falling for this girl. He wanted to tell her but should he say it in a text? Or should he wait and tell her in person? It'd be easier through text but she'd probably believe it more coming from him in person. What if she didn't feel the same way? What if she felt he was moving too fast? Sighing, Ezra texted back with a simple goodnight before falling into a deep sleep.

**Aria POV**

The next morning, Aria woke up with a new text from Ezra.

_Good morning(; See you in class!_

_-Ezra_

Aria grinned as she flipped the phone closed. She fell back on her bed in ecstasy. Finally, she and Ezra were going to be together. No more Clark. No more Maria. No more stolen glances…well, not after he gets a new job anyway. Sighing, she got up and got ready.

Aria practically skipped into school and up to her locker. She hummed as she did the combination on her locker.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Hanna asked. Aria grinned at her friends over her shoulder.

"Nothing," she cooed. Her friends looked at each other with a smile. Sighing, Aria turned and leaned against her locker. "Everything is just falling into place." Aria turned back to her locker and grabbed a few books. Slamming her locker closed, she turned to her friends. "Look, I have to ask Mr. Fitz a few questions. I'll see you guys in a few." She gave a slight wave as she skipped to his classroom.

Aria leaned against the doorframe as she watched him look from a piece of paper to the chalkboard before writing something on it in chalk. He looked amazing in the light blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to mid-forearm. Her eyes roamed further down and she bit her lip. His butt was outlined nicely in the kaki pants. He must have seen her watching him out of the corner of his eye because as he wrote on the board a smile widened across his face. Aria stepped in and closed the door behind her.

"It's not nice to stare, Miss. Montgomery," he said seductively. Aria raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"If you didn't look so good I wouldn't have to stare," she replied. He smiled at her. Aria looked down at the desk thinking about all the things she'd like to do to him on the desk before meeting his intense gaze once again. Clearing her throat, she asked, "So, where's Zane staying?"

"He's with a neighbor. I've known her a while so I trusted her to take care of him." Aria nodded in understanding. The bell rang and Aria gave him one last smile before strutting to her desk. She could feel his eyes on her bottom so she swayed it back and forth a little more just for him. When she turned, his face was a bright red as he sat down behind his desk and scooted his chair in as far as it would go. She smiled to herself in satisfaction.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**Aria POV**

After school had ended, Aria stuck around. She was hoping to catch Ezra before his meeting but it must have been right after school because he wasn't in his classroom when she went by. She decided to wait out in her car for him to finish up so they could possibly do something tonight. An hour and a half had passed before she began dozing off. She was awoken by the sound of footsteps coming from behind her car. Flashes of the night when she ended up in the hospital went through her mind. She was in the trunk again. Her rolling onto the crowbar. Her breath quickened at the memory. She clutched the steering wheel tightly as the footsteps came closer. She closed her eyes tightly.

She jumped and screamed at the top of her lungs when she heard the light tap on her window. She opened her eyes and was met with concerned blue ones. She closed her eyes, placed a hand on her chest, and tried desperately to calm her racing heart. "Aria?" she heard the muffled voice say. She took a large gulp and rolled down her window. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Aria nodded and gulped again. "Yeah, you just scared me." Ezra nodded. Aria looked around and was surprised by the darkness that filled Rosewood. "Wow, I must have been out for a while." Ezra smiled softly. He scanned the parking lot before leaning in through the window and pressing his lips to hers. The single kiss lasted an eternity before he finally pulled away. Aria smiled and bit her lip.

"Were you waiting for me?" he asked quietly. She nodded.

"I was hoping we could do something. I didn't expect for your meeting to last this long." She glanced at the clock and saw that it was nine o'clock. She blinked several times thinking her eyes were messing with her but apparently they weren't.

"Well, it didn't. I got out at about six but Jenna wanted another run on notes. I would have told you but I didn't know you were waiting for me. I'm sorry." Aria clenched her jaw at the sound of Jenna's name. For the past year, Aria has had to live with the nightmare of what her and her friends had done to Jenna Marshall. Alison had wanted to teach Toby Cavanaugh a lesson about peeking in windows, and decided to throw a firecracker into their garage. Apparently, Jenna and Toby were inside. They came out unscathed except for Jenna's vision. She had lost it completely and it was their fault.

"Oh. That's okay. We can do something another time." She smiled. Ezra looked around again.

"Why? You can just come over and spend the night with me and Zane if you want." Aria smiled. "You're going to have to come up with an excuse to tell your parents though…" he trailed off. Aria nodded. She knew what to tell them. She was used to lying to her parents. While they lived in Iceland, Aria learned how to lie to them fairly well considering in order to do the things she wanted she had to. There was no way her parents would let her do half the things she had done over there.

"I'll just stop by my house and grab some clothes first." Ezra smiled, leaned in to kiss her again, before disappearing into the night as he walked to his car. Aria waited a few minutes before turning the key. The only sound the car responded with was the sound of an engine trying to turn on but not doing so. She tried again only to hear the same thing. She reached over to her phone and was about to dial Ezra's number when someone slammed their hand down on the rolled down window. She jumped and looked but saw nothing but a hoodie. The person clamped their hand down on her mouth. She kicked against them but everything soon became blurry before she saw blackness.

**Ezra POV**

Ezra was driving down the road singing to the song on the radio when he heard a loud pop. He slowly pulled over and got out. He sighed when he looked down at the rear right tire. The bottom of it was laying flat on the ground. Ezra threw his hands up in the air. Popping the trunk, he went back to grab a spare tire and a jack. He was rummaging around in the trunk when he heard a car come up behind him. He turned to see who it was but the headlights blinded him.

He turned back to his trunk as he heard someone get out of the driver's side. "Hey, do you think you could help me out? I have a flat tire." Ezra was met by silence. He turned and jumped. Slowing his breathing, he smiled. "Mr. Montgomery."

Byron smiled. "Hey, Ezra. I don't know much about changing a tire but if you need a ride I'd be happy to give you one."

"That'd be great," Ezra responded. He threw the tire and jack back in the trunk before slamming it closed. He went back and retrieved his keys from the ignition and locked his doors before following Byron. Ella waved at him from the passenger seat. He waved back before climbing into the back. Mike was sitting on the other side with his headphones in his ear. He looked over at Ezra who smiled. Without cracking a smile, Mike turned back to his IPod. Ezra nodded to himself. "Thanks again for stopping and giving me a ride home." He told the couple in the front.

"Oh, it's no problem. It's the least we could do after you took care of Aria for us." Ella responded.

"Well, it wasn't a problem. Aria was great." Ezra smiled to himself. Aria was a lot of things, most of which he couldn't tell Ella. A beep was sounded through the car. Ella flipped open her phone and read the text. She turned to Byron.

"Aria is staying over at Spencer's for the night. She already went by the house and grabbed some clothes." Byron nodded. Ezra looked out the window and grinned knowingly.

Ezra waved goodbye as Byron drove away. He turned and walked up to his apartment. He knocked on his neighbor's door first. She opened and smiled at him as she held a finger up to her lips. He tip toed in and picked up the sleeping boy from the couch. He quietly thanked her and walked him over to his own apartment. He somehow managed to unlock and open the door with Zane still asleep in his arms. When the door swung open, he was expecting to see Aria but was met with a dark room. He flipped on the lights and walked in. Scanning the room, he laid Zane down on the couch. He placed a pillow under his head and then a blanket over his body. The boy snuggled up into a ball and stuck his thumb in his mouth. Ezra smiled down at him.

Ezra looked around and saw no signs of Aria even being in his apartment before he got there. She had texted her mom and told her she had already gotten her clothes. Shouldn't she have been there already? He furrowed his brow in confusion. He was starting to get worried. He dug his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Aria's number. He listened as the phone rang before her answering machine came on. He flipped the cell phone closed before the beep. Sighing, he walked over to his computer. Maybe she sent him an email. He wasn't sure why she would do that but he wanted to check everything before he started panicking. He opened his email. He looked intently at the first address. _Unknown_. The subject line was even more intriguing. _Missing Something?_ Ezra clicked on the file and his eyes grew wide at the sight before him.

**A/N: Sorry for the shortness but I just had to stop this chapter here. Great cliffhanger. I feel I have to keep you all on the edge of your seats.(= Don't worry though, you shouldn't have to wait much longer for the next chapter. I've already started working on it.(=**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**Ezra POV**

Ezra couldn't believe what he was seeing. The picture was horrific. Nothing but fear was shown in Aria's hazel eyes. She was sitting in a wooden chair with her wrists tied to the arms of the chair by a thick rope. Her ankles were tied to the front two legs of the chair. Blood trickled down from her forehead. The thin stream of blood traveled down to just right of her left eye. Tears filled his eyes as he bit down on his lip to conceal the sob that was about to escape.

"Uncle Ez?" he heard a whisper behind him. Quickly, he slammed the laptop close and wiped the tears from his eyes. Sniffling, he turned around and put on a brave smile for his nephew. Zane was sitting up on the sofa with big eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked softly. Ezra nodded unable to say anything.

"Go back to sleep, buddy," Ezra whispered back. Zane nodded slightly before lying back down and rolling over to face the back of the couch. Ezra clenched his jaw and flared his nostrils in anger. He picked up his cell phone to make a call.

"Hello?" he heard a sleepy voice say.

"Clarissa, I'm sorry to wake you but it's an emergency. I didn't know who else to call," Ezra rushed out in a panicked voice. He could hear the slight rustling of sheets on the other end of the line.

"Is it Zane?" Clarissa questioned.

"No, it's a friend of mine. She's been kidnapped."

He heard Clarissa sigh. "Look, Ezra, tell the local police."

Ezra grunted in frustration. He got up from the chair and made his way to the farthest side of the room away from Zane. "They sent me a picture," his voice was full of pain. "She's tied to a chair. Blood was…blood was streaming down her face. Please, Clarissa. You have resources that Rosewood Police don't have." There was a long pause on the other side of the phone. "Clarissa," Ezra grinded out angrily.

"I'm here, Ezra. I'm going to have to see the picture. I'll be there in a couple of hours."

Ezra closed his eyes and smiled. "Thank you." He flipped the phone closed and stood there for a moment staring off into space. He thought back to when he met Aria. The way his heartbeat skipped a few times when she smiled at him. The cute blush that rose to her cheeks whenever they were in the same room together. He shook himself out of his thoughts. Taking a deep breath, he walked back over to his laptop. He made sure Zane was still sleeping before he slowly lifted the laptop screen. He squinted at the sight of Aria.

He made himself focus on the background of the picture hoping to catch a glimpse of something to give away her location. His eyes squinted even more when he thought he saw something in the background. He clicked on the picture hoping it would zoom in. He sighed in frustration when nothing happened. He sat back and stared at Aria's face. Her eyes made it look like she was trying to tell him something. Something he was having a hard time figuring out.

**Aria POV**

Her head bobbled down as her eyes started to close. She sprung it back up with a jolt trying to stay awake. She couldn't fall asleep. God only knows what this woman is capable of.

"Aria, nice to see you're still awake," Maria smiled brightly down at her. Aria breathed heavily as she glared up at her. Maria's smile remained. Aria briefly looked down at the water in her hands before meeting Maria's humorous gaze again. Maria looked down at the water in surprise. "Oh, you want some water?" she asked sweetly. Aria remained silent.

Maria grinned and took the cap off the water. Using her free hand, she gripped Aria's chin and shoved her head back. Aria tried to fight her but Maria was surprisingly strong. Maria grunted as she poured the water over Aria's mouth. Shaking her head from side to side, Aria began coughing rapidly as the water made its way down her throat.

Maria stopped pouring and shoved Aria's head to the side. Aria leant forward as she coughed. Maria turned her back to Aria. Aria sputtered as she watched her retreating back. "Ezra will hate you." Maria halted before spinning around with anger in her eyes. She stomped back up to Aria. Aria sat up straighter as if she was ready for whatever Maria threw at her.

Maria knelt down and was a mere two inches from Aria's face when she spat out, "You think I give a shit what Ezra thinks?" Maria scoffed. "I was only using him. Besides, he never really liked me anyways. He only has eyes for you," Maria stood back up and smiled down at Aria mockingly.

Aria looked at her confused. "Using him? For what?" she breathed out. Maria's smile widened and her eyes shown with love. Aria's eyes began to droop. Maria's smirk became blurry with each passing second. The room was spinning. "Maria, what did you do to me?" she drawled out.

"Night night, Aria," Maria said as she gently smiled down at Aria. That was the last thing Aria saw before darkness consumed her.

**Ezra POV**

Ezra was pacing around his apartment and chewing on his fingernails. Should he call the Montgomery's or wait until Clarissa got there? The thoughts that had consumed his mind for the past several hours were broken by a knock at the door. Ezra sprinted to the door and swung it open. He grabbed Clarissa by the arm and pulled her in before slamming the door closed quickly. He strode over to the laptop without a word and brought the picture up for her to see. She followed him and sat in the seat to take a closer look.

Ezra pointed to the object he saw earlier. "You see this?" Clarissa nodded her agreement before taking out her phone. Ezra listened intently as someone on the other end of the call told her what to do. She forwarded the message to another address.

Clarissa pulled the phone down away from her mouth to address Ezra. "Were there any other messages? Ransom demand, maybe?" Ezra shook his head. He had no idea what these people wanted from him. Why would they take Aria? No one knew about them. Or at least nobody that he knew of. Clarissa ended the call. "He said he would call back after he enhances the photo and is able to zoom in on that object." Ezra nodded. Clarissa turned to him. "Ezra, what do these people want?"

Ezra shook his head and shrugged. "I have no idea."

"Why would they take this girl? What's her name by the way?" Clarissa questioned.

Ezra sighed. "Her name is Aria. She's one of my students. I don't know why they took her or why they sent me the email."

Clarissa narrowed her eyes at him. "You know I know when you're lying Ezra," she stated. Ezra opened his mouth slightly and stared at her.

"We're sort of…" he paused unsure of what to even call it. He hadn't officially asked Aria out. They were just kind of testing the waters a little bit. "I guess you could say we're dating. Sort of."

Clarissa closed her eyes. She opened them and was about to protest when he held up his hand. "I know. I know. You can't say anything to me that I haven't already said to myself. There's just something about her. She's different." Ezra smiled.

The sound of Clarissa's phone ringing caused the smile to quickly disappear. Clarissa cleared her throat before flipping the phone open and putting it her ear. She listened intently for a few minutes. Ezra strained to hear but the voice on the other end was too low. He was beginning to get impatient. He tapped Clarissa on her shoulder but she held up a finger to tell him to stop. He ran a hand over his face. Clarissa looked up at him while still on the phone. He shook his head as if to tell her to tell him what the other person was saying. She still remained quiet which bugged Ezra even more. Finally, she said something. "Send the picture to the email I sent it from, please." She closed the phone.

Ezra was waiting for her to say something to him. "Well?" he questioned agitated.

She held up a finger to him once again. Ezra was about to yell when she clicked on a link and the picture of Aria was brought up. "That's a dress hanging in the background. Do you recognize it?" Clarissa finally spoke. Ezra looked intently at the zoomed in photo of the dress. It looked familiar but he was unable to place where he had seen it. He shook his head.

"It looks familiar but it's a dress. We men don't really pay that much attention to a woman's attire." Ezra pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Clarissa nodded.

"Have you talked to her parents?" she whispered. Ezra's only response was a shake of his head. Clarissa stood and faced him. She placed her hands on the sides of his face. "Look at me. We need to go talk to them. They may know who took her." Ezra nodded. He looked over at Zane.

"What about Zane?" he asked. Clarissa looked over at the peaceful boy. She smiled.

"I'll stay with him. You go tell Aria's parents. If at all possible, get them to come back here with you. I need to ask them a few questions." Ezra nodded. How was he supposed to tell this family that their daughter has been kidnapped and being held hostage? How was he supposed to explain the email being sent to him? Ezra shrugged his jacket on. He opened the door but before he stepped out he turned to Clarissa.

"Clarissa," he said softly. The woman turned to him. "Thanks." He smiled his gratitude which she returned.

"We're family. Besides, I'm an FBI Agent. It's my job." Ezra nodded. "We'll find her, Ezra." Ezra stared back at her and clenched his jaw before nodding and leaving.

**Aria POV**

Aria finally came to. Her head was pounding. It felt almost like a hangover. She blinked several times to clear her vision before examining her surroundings. She was facing the ceiling. She furrowed her brow in confusion before she looked from side to side. Maria was on one side of her smiling down at her. On the other was a man with dark eyes. The guy looked familiar but her mind was blank. He wasn't smiling though. His mouth was in a thin line. She looked down and saw that she was lying on a bed with her ankles and wrists tied to the bed posts. Frantically, she looked from side to side.

"What's going on?" she asked frantically. Maria continued to smile at her. The man beside her stood over her. She looked up at him and the angle made him appear even darker than when he was sitting down. He remained silent as she studied her. His eyes roamed from her face down her body stopping momentarily on her breasts. He licked his lips before looking over at Maria. Maria looked up at him and gave him a short nod. He gazed back down at Aria and took in a deep breath. He bit his lip as he took out a pocket knife. Aria's eyes grew wide and she began to flop frantically trying desperately to release the ropes hold on her wrists and ankles. Maria laughed loudly.

"Aria, honey, you're not going anywhere. There's no point in doing that." Maria looked to the foot of the bed. A person was standing there. Aria looked down to see if she could make out a face but the person was standing deep in the shadows. She saw a camera lens zoned in on her. She looked angrily at the camera as the picture was taken. The person quickly took the camera down from their face after snapping the picture making sure that the flash of the picture showing up on the screen didn't brighten their face.

The man next to her leaned down close to her face. For the first time, he grinned wickedly at her. "Precious," he whispered hoarsely against her cheek. Aria shoved her head in the opposite direction to get as far away from him as possible. The man's smile instantly dropped. He grabbed her chin roughly and brought her face back to face him. He stuck his tongue out and licked her lips. She tried desperate to move her head but failed. He was too strong. He pried her mouth open and shoved his tongue inside. She closed her eyes tightly as she brought her teeth together with his tongue in between. He jolted back with a grunt. He brought his hand up to his mouth. "You bitch!" he yelled angrily as he slapped her roughly across the face.

Aria swallowed the soft cry that threatened to escape. She had to be strong. She couldn't show the fear she was feeling deep down. Why were they doing this to her? What did she ever do to them?

Once again, the man grabbed her chin and roughly turned her face toward him. He brought the knife up to her cheek and softly ran the knife across it. He breathed out as he did so. Aria closed her eyes tightly and once again bit down on her lip. She screamed out when he pressed down a little on the knife. The cut wasn't deep but it was enough to draw blood. The wound stung. He leaned in next to her ear. "Maybe later we'll play," he whispered before laughing. He stood up and smiled down at her before him and the camera person left. Aria looked around for Maria but she was nowhere in sight. Aria sat her head back down on the bed and let the few tears escape from her eyes.

Was anybody looking for her? Did Ezra assume she ditched him and stayed home? Did her parents assume she was with her friends? More tears escaped at the thought of what these people were going to do to her penetrated her mind.

**Ezra POV**

Ezra rang their doorbell for the third time. He looked down and took in a deep breath as he heard footsteps on the other side of the door. The door swung open to reveal a very dreary Byron Montgomery. Ezra smiled softly at him. Byron squinted at him. "Ezra?" he questioned sleepily.

"Sorry to wake you but it's important. May I come in?" he whispered. Byron stepped aside and let him enter. Ezra immediately walked to the couch and sat down. "You should get Ella as well." Byron went upstairs and a few moments later Ezra heard two sets of footsteps making their way down the stairs.

"Ezra, is everything okay?" Ella asked. Ezra looked up at her. This woman had already lost a child. How was he supposed to tell her that she could possibly lose another? He took in a deep breath as he looked between Ella, Byron, and then finally landed on his hands.

"Uh, no. I got an email tonight. It-It was a picture…of Aria." Ella and Byron looked at him confused. "She was tied to a chair. She didn't look too good. Ella…Byron…Aria's been…" Ezra cleared his throat and took a deep breath. He looked into their eyes and saw the fear there. "Aria's been kidnapped." Ella let out a short sob. Byron wrapped an arm around her and shook his head slightly.

"Well, what do these maniacs want?" Byron asked angrily. Ezra shrugged.

"Look, I called my former sister-in-law. She's an FBI Agent. She's at my apartment right now looking over the photo. She would like for the two of you to come back with me. She has her own questions for you." Byron nodded. He helped Ella upstairs to change. Ezra placed his elbows on his knees and laid his head down in his hands. He let out a quiet sob. At the sound of footsteps, he straightened and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Let's go," Ella said. A completely different Ella stood before him now. She was no longer the crying, fearful mother he saw a few moments ago but the determined, angry mother. She was going to get her daughter back. She was going to make these crazy people suffer for whatever they may do to her daughter. Ezra nodded and followed Ella to his car.

Ezra opened the door to his apartment and allowed Ella and Byron to walk through first. Clarissa closed the laptop quickly before standing to greet them. "I'm Clarissa Santiago." She held out her hand and shook their hands quickly. She told them to take a seat on the sofa. Ezra looked over to the bed. Clarissa had moved Zane over to his bed. He was curled into a ball with his favorite blanket and his thumb in his mouth. Ezra smiled softly at the sight. Clarissa went on to ask the Montgomery's some questions about their daughter. She asked of anyone who would want to harm her but they responded like most parents do; everybody loved Aria. Ezra actually believed that. Well, before today he would have. It was hard not to love Aria. Ezra blinked once in realization. He loved Aria. He loved Aria Montgomery. He shook his head. Now was not the time to deal with his feelings for Aria. Now was the time to find her before something even worse happened.

The room had fallen silent. Clarissa sighed. "I want to show you two photos." Clarissa turned to face Ezra. "While you were at the Montgomery's another picture was sent. This time with a ransom note. They're asking for money; lots of it. I had some guys back at the office where I work take a look at it. There's someone in the background. See if any of you recognize who it is." She opened the laptop and zoomed in on the face. Byron, Ella, and Ezra gasped in shock.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**Ezra POV**

"Do it," Clarissa motioned for Ezra to type in the message on his phone. He looked down at the keypad and gently tapped the tips of his thumbs on the keys. He sighed. He looked up at Clarissa once again for confirmation. Clarissa nodded her head. He looked down and began typing.

_This is Ezra Fitz. Do you know where Aria is?_

_-Ezra_

He flipped his phone closed and laid it down on the desk. He stared the phone down impatiently waiting for a response. The seconds seemed like hours as they passed. Finally, a beep signaled there was a response. Ezra snatched the phone up and read the message.

_Haven't seen her. Why?_

Ezra clenched his jaw in anger. Lie. He looked up at Clarissa. "What do you want me to say?" Clarissa looked up at the ceiling with her hands on her hips in thought. She brought her gaze back to Ezra.

"Ask to meet. Say something along the lines that it's important and can't be discussed over the phone." Ezra nodded and replied. It didn't take long for a response to come in.

_Sure. Where?_

_Aria's house?_

_-Ezra_

After getting a response, Ezra flipped the phone closed and let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Clarissa took the phone from him and nodded. Ezra placed his hands on his hips and looked down. After a few breaths he looked over at the mute Montgomery's.

"Ella, Byron I'm going to need a key to your place. I don't want you two to get involved. Clarissa and I will go. I'm going to need you to stay here with Zane," Ezra whispered. Ella simply nodded.

"I want to be there," Byron stood up to take his stand. Ezra shook his head. "I'm her father!" Ezra held up his hands and was about to calm him down when Clarissa interrupted.

"Mr. Montgomery, you're too close to this. I've seen the reaction of people in your position. If you go there you won't be able to control your actions. If you go, we'll never be able to get your daughters location." Byron looked over at her and slowly began to calm down. He clenched his jaw but nodded in defeat.

Ezra and Clarissa both threw on a long black trench coat. Clarissa grabbed her keys and peered over at Ezra. "I'm driving." The only response she got was an eye roll from Ezra.

**Aria POV**

Aria screamed out in agony as the whip came crashing down against her bare skin. The man with the dark hair was standing over her with a grin upon his face. He had removed every piece of her clothing except for her matching bra and panties. His sick eyes roamed over her body after each smack made against her skin. Tears flowed down her face and mixed with the blood from where he had slapped her a few times across the face.

"Why are you doing this?" she cried out. The man continued to stare down at her silently. He tilted his head in admiration. He leaned down and kissed her torso. Aria flopped around as much as the rope tied around her wrists and ankles would allow. That only seemed to arouse the man even more. He laughed out loud as he kissed his way up in between her breasts. He licked her neck a few times. Aria craned her neck away from him but all that did was give him more access to her neck. She was giving him exactly what he wanted.

Lightly, he ran his thumb over her lips and bit his own. Aria watched as his eyes clouded over. His breath was sickly sweet against her skin. She closed her eyes waiting for the inevitable. She opened her eyes slowly when she no longer felt his breath along her cheek. He swiftly walked to the edge of the bed. She heard the sharpening of knives and began to panic. Her breath quickened and she looked around frantically. She had to get out of there. With a pocket knife in hand, he walked back to her slowly. As he walked back to her, he ran the knife up her shin and over to her inner thigh. He lightly ran it over her center and licked his lips. He stopped momentarily but soon proceeded up her body. He ran it up the middle of her torso, in between her breast and then stopped. He bent down to her lips and was about to kiss her when she roughly threw her head forward.

He bounced back with a loud grunt and slammed his hand against his forehead where she had head butted him. Aria closed her eyes at the pain but did her best to keep a straight face. She heard his angry breathing and saw the fire spark in his dark blue eyes. He stalked back to Aria and roughly grabbed her chin. She fought against him with all her might but was no match. He swiftly brought his hand up and slapped her across the face. Her face stung. He took the opportunity to lean down and shove his tongue down her throat. She thought about biting him again but decided against it. It would only make matters worse.

"Keep fighting me," he stated roughly, "It does nothing but turn me on, sweetheart." His laugh sent chills down her spine. She wanted to puke. Luckily, the door swung open and he halted. Aria took in a ragged breath.

Maria was standing in the doorway. All she did was stare at them. The man must have understood what she meant because he stood up from Aria, looked down at her, flared his nostrils, and then walked past Maria and out the door. Maria took one last glance at Aria before following the man. She closed the door behind her. Aria's head fell back on the bed and she let the tears fall.

Why were they doing this to her? What did she ever do to them? She closed her eyes and prayed to God that Ezra knew something was wrong. The camera man had taken two pictures of her that she knew of. Why was he taking pictures? Was he sending them to someone? Ezra? Her parents? Someone she hadn't even thought of yet?

**Ezra POV**

Ezra sat in the Montgomery's living room. He was biting his nails and tapping his foot furiously. "Are you going to be able to handle this Ezra?" Clarissa asked from behind him. Ezra looked to his right a little and gave a curt nod. "You sure? You're not going to do anything irrational are you?" Ezra took in a deep breath.

"I'd be lying if I wasn't considering it. The bastard deserves what's coming," Ezra stated. Clarissa didn't respond.

"Ezra," she rounded the couch and sat next to him, "please don't do anything stupid. The last thing we need is for this to go south. You do something wrong and it could get Aria killed," she whispered.

Ezra looked over at her angrily. "You think I don't know that?" he asked harshly. Clarissa's eyes softened. "I hear where you're coming from. I won't do anything irrational. I promise," he added in a whisper. His head snapped to the door when the doorbell rang. Clarissa put a hand on his shoulder and then quickly made her way to the kitchen and out of sight. Ezra swallowed a large lump in his throat and then stood. Walking to the door, he swung it open and gave a soft smile. "Come in," he stated surprisingly calmly.

Ezra closed the door softly. He turned around and stared at the back of the man's head. "Have you heard from Aria yet?" the man asked as he turned. Ezra shook his head. "Why did you call me here?" Ezra stepped forward. He stopped mere inches from his face.

Ezra simply stared into his eyes. The man shook his head in wonder. "Where is she?" Ezra whispered angrily.

"Excuse me?"

Ezra stepped even closer and gripped him by the collar. He shoved him into the wall behind him. "Where is she, Clark?" Ezra shouted.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Clark shouted back. "I haven't seen Aria since we broke up…because of you." Clark clenched his jaw. Ezra narrowed his eyes.

Clarissa stepped out from the kitchen. "You're lying, Mr. Riley." She held up a photo in front of his face. "This is you, correct?" Clark looked at the picture and visibly paled.

Ezra laughed harshly. "You're not too bright are you, Clark? Apparently, you didn't think the mirror behind the bed would catch your ugly face in the picture, huh?" Clarissa walked away from them. She leaned against the door behind Ezra and watched him take over.

Clark's whole demeanor changed. "Look, I had nothing to do with it." Ezra let out a full blown laugh. "No, I'm serious! This wasn't my idea. All I was supposed to do was kidnap her and then take the pictures. Maria paid me…"

"Maria?" Ezra questioned incredulously. Clark nodded.

"Your girlfriend."

Ezra shook his head. "I don't believe you." Clark sighed.

Clark thought for a moment and then his eyes lit up. "My phone."

Ezra furrowed his brow. "I'm sorry?"

"My phone. It's in my pocket. Check the messages and recent call list. Her number should be on there and a message confirming the deal." Ezra looked over his shoulder at Clarissa. She stepped forward and dug into his pocket. Clark looked at her and grinned. Clarissa rolled her eyes in annoyance. She scanned through his phone.

"Maria's number is in my phone. It's in my back pocket." Clarissa reached into Ezra's back pocket and pulled out his cell phone. She compared the two numbers. She looked at Ezra and nodded.

Ezra bit his lip and looked over at Clark. "Why did Maria pay you to kidnap Aria?"

Clark shook his head. "She didn't tell me. This other guy that's with her is calling the shots. Well, sort of. Maria is making sure he doesn't do something drastic too soon."

"Other guy?" Clarissa asked as she stepped forward. "Who?"

"I don't know his name."

"Can you describe him to a sketch artist?" Clarissa interrogated.

"I didn't get a good look at him. Look, I've told you all I know." Clark looked between the two.

Ezra lifted his collar a little more. "Not quite," Ezra grinded out furiously, "Where is she?"

Clark looked between the two. He shook his head. "I'm not saying anything else. You can't do anything to me or I'll tell the cops." Clark showed them a wide smirk.

Clarissa returned the smirk before holding her badge in front of his face. His smirk died in an instant. He looked up at her face and then at Ezra. He cleared his throat before saying, "In that case, I want my lawyer." Ezra clenched his jaw. He looked over at Clarissa. She looked deep in thought. Ezra let go of him and stepped away with his back to them.

Clark let out an arrogant snort. Next thing Ezra knew, Clarissa had her forearm shoved under Clark's neck and was pushing him against the wall. She got in his face. "If you don't tell me where she is, I'll make sure you get the longest sentence possible in the worst facility possible. You sure that's what you want?" Clark swallowed and his face paled. He licked his lips nervously. He remained quiet. Clarissa pushed a little harder.

Clark cringed and ground out the address. She let go of him and forced him around. She pulled out her handcuffs and placed them on his wrists. She read him his rights and then leaned in close to his ear, "You better not be lying to us." Clark looked to his right and nodded. She led him out. Clarissa had called Rosewood PD before they got to the Montgomery's and informed them of their plan. She handed him off to a local officer before turning to Ezra.

"Go back to your apartment. I'll call you when we've got her." Clarissa mumbled.

Ezra's jaw dropped. "Not a chance in hell. I want to be there." Clarissa looked him in the eyes and saw nothing but determination. Finally, she nodded her head. Ezra smiled softly at her. "Thanks, Clarissa," he whispered. She pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow.

"Same rules apply as in there," she stated pointing to the house. Ezra nodded once. Clarissa narrowed her eyes at him. He held up his hands in surrender. She turned to walk away from him. He smiled at her back and followed closely behind her.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

**Aria POV**

The faint sound of sirens jolted Aria awake. She looked around the room. The man with the dark hair stood up immediately. He walked over to the door and opened it a crack. He was whispering to someone on the other side. Aria assumed it was Maria. She tried to listen in but they were being too quiet. The man slammed the door closed and breathed heavily without turning back to Aria. Aria swallowed the huge lump in her throat as she began to get nervous.

What was this guy going to do? The cops were on their way. He turned toward her with blazing eyes and strode over to her. He leaned down and kissed her roughly on the lips. He stepped back and reached into his back pocket. He pulled out his pocket knife and his dark gaze stared down at Aria. She understood that look. She shook her head frantically as tears formed in her eyes. This time she didn't bother hiding them. She let them fall as her breathing became ragged.

"Don't do this. Please, don't do this. I-I will do whatever you want just please don't hurt me." Aria could have sworn she saw guilt and regret flash in the man's eyes but in a blink it was gone. She must have imagined it. He slowly began leaning down. Aria closed her eyes tightly and let the tears slip down her cheek. She bit her lips to conceal the scream the pain was going to bring on.

He breathed in deeply and ran the tip of the knife lightly over her face. "I think it'll take the cops a little while to get in here. I can have a little fun first." He smiled wickedly at her. He pressed the knife into her skin along her jaw. Aria panted in agony. He lightly ran the tip of the knife across her chin and then did the same thing to the other side of her face. The salty tears that escaped her eyes hit the scars and caused them to sting profusely. He gave her a couple more cuts but she somehow managed to keep the screams from being released from her throat. He ran the knife down her chin, over her throat, down the center of her breasts, and over her stomach. He traced her bellybutton lightly as she whimpered.

She watched him as he licked his lips and concentrated on her stomach. He looked up into her eyes. She gazed back into them and thought that maybe he would let her go without harming her. The searing pain to her abdomen a few moments later demolished that thought. She cried out in torment as the knife penetrated her skin. He dug the knife deep into her. He looked down at the wound and licked his lips. As Aria was trying to deal with the pain, she noticed that the wound was turning him on. Her pain was a turn on for him. He clenched his jaw and smiled as he pulled out the knife. Aria screamed out. Aria panted and tried to distract herself from the pain. She watched him. Disbelief filled her, as the man brought the knife to his mouth and stuck out his tongue to lick the blade. He smiled at her when he saw her watching. He raised an eyebrow and brought the knife back down into her abdomen. This brought out another wave of torture to Aria's body.

Just as he was pulling it out, the door swung open. Aria's vision faded but she managed to catch a slight glimpse of the person at the door. She smiled and whispered, "Ezra," before darkness consumed her.

**Ezra POV**

Ezra's eyes widened when he saw Aria. He rushed to her side as the cops tackled the man. His eyes never left Aria since he opened the door. He was cupping her face and lightly smacking her cheek to get her to wake up when he felt a rough pull on his shoulder sending him backward into a wall. He leaned against it to keep himself from falling as he watched the paramedics tend to Aria's wounds. He looked to his right and saw Clarissa standing frozen in the doorway with wide eyes.

Taking one last glance over at the paramedics as they heaved Aria onto a gurney, he walked over to Clarissa. He placed a hand on her shoulder. Her gaze never faltered. Ezra removed his eyes from Clarissa and looked over to where she was staring. He stopped breathing when he met the eyes of his brother. Nathan stared over at Ezra with shame filled eyes. Ezra clenched his jaw and flared his nostrils. The cops had sat him in a chair with his hands handcuffed behind his back. Ezra stomped over to him and grabbed him by the collar lifting him out of the chair and slamming him against the wall. The cops went to subdue Ezra but Clarissa stopped them.

Nathan's eyes shown with nothing but fear as his younger brother got in his face. "Ezra…" he whispered but Ezra slammed his fist into his gut causing him to grunt. He hunched over in agony as he tried to catch his breath but Ezra grabbed his collar and slammed him against the wall again.

"Why? Why would you do this?" Ezra whispered roughly through clenched teeth. Nathan remained silent. Tears glistened in Ezra's eyes. He faintly heard the paramedics wheel Aria out of the room and up the stairs hurriedly. Ezra shoved him against the wall again. "You were doing better. You were getting help. Why would you do this to Aria?"

Nathan looked down. "Mom and Dad gave it all to you," he whispered. Ezra furrowed his brow and narrowed his eyes.

"What?" he exasperated.

Nathan sighed and looked into Ezra's eyes. Ezra was surprised to see nothing but coldness in his stare. "All of my savings. They gave it all to you."

Ezra's jaw dropped in disbelief. A new wave of anger flowed through his body. His breathing became ragged. "You did this because of money? Money?" Ezra grinded out. He spun around and threw Nathan onto the floor. He reeled back his fist intending to land a punch square on his brother's face when someone grabbed him by the crook of his elbow. He looked back at the officer who shook his head and lightly pulled on Ezra's arm pushing him against the wall. Ezra leaned against it as the tears silently fell from his eyes. He watched as the cops took his brother away. Clarissa stared straight ahead.

"Clarissa?" Ezra breathed out. Clarissa wordlessly moved her eyes to look at Ezra. "Are you okay? You're scaring me." Clarissa barely nodded. She fell into the chair that Nathan had been sitting in and hid her face in her hands. Her body trembled as she silently sobbed into her hands. Ezra bit back a sob as he walked over to her and bent down in front of her. He reached for her hands and pulled them away from her face to hold them. Clarissa looked at him.

"How could I have been married to this monster?" she cried out. "I'm an FBI Agent. I should have seen the signs." Ezra shook his head.

"You couldn't have known. None of us did." Ezra whispered.

Clarissa released one of her hands from his grip and wiped the tears from her eyes. She sniffled once and gave a soft smile. "You should go to the hospital. I should go back to your apartment and get my son so Ella and Byron can go to the hospital." Ezra's jaw slackened.

"I should probably call them." Ezra took out his cell phone and stared at the screen. Clarissa looked from him to the phone then back to him.

"Ezra?"

Ezra looked up at her. "What do I say?" he whispered shaking his head. "You're daughter is in the hospital because my brother stabbed her? I don't know if she's okay?" Tears formed in Ezra's eyes.

Clarissa reached up and wiped the tears that fell from his eyes and cupped his cheek. "It's not your fault Ezra. Just tell them to meet you at the hospital." Ezra nodded and dialed.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: Final Chapter**

**Aria POV**

The sound of buzzing made Aria take in a deep breath and calm her nerves. Why was she here? What did she hope to gain by coming here? The door in front of her opened. Blue eyes gazed at her from the doorway. The officer pushed him inside and made him sit in the chair on the opposite side of the table than Aria. The officer backed off but didn't leave the room. Aria stared into the deep blue eyes.

"I didn't think you'd talk to me," he whispered after a few moments. Aria shrugged.

"You asked me to come," she stated back. She waited for him to speak. He looked down at the table and sighed in defeat.

"Aria, I-I'm sorry. I know that's not enough but I hope it's a start."

"What do you want from me, Clark?" Aria interrupted. Clark looked up at her and sighed. Aria shook her head. "You're not at all who I thought you were. The police told me about your past. All the things you have done."

Clark leaned forward and put his cuffed hands on the table. He looked into her eyes pleadingly, "That's not who I am anymore!"

"You kidnapped me! How is that not the same?" Aria questioned incredulously.

"That's all I did, though! I kidnapped you and took the pictures. That's it. I had no part in the rest of it." Aria stared at him for a while. Clark's eyes never wavered from hers.

"When I ended up in the hospital the first time…Did-Did you put me in there? Did you kidnap me?" Aria whispered.

Clark nodded. " Yeah, I did. You hit your head on the crowbar in the trunk of my car. When I opened the trunk, I saw the blood on the crowbar and then the wound on your head and I panicked. I never wanted to harm you."

Aria bit her lip to hide the pain that still loomed in her heart. "Was it all a lie? The way you said you felt about me? I slept with you!" Tears slid down her cheeks silently.

Clark shook his head quickly. "No! I didn't lie about my feelings. Look, Maria and I knew each other from…" Clark trailed off.

"From the mental institution?" Aria finished for him. Clark's eyes went wide. "I told you, the police told me all about your past. You killed your father. You bludgeoned him to death. You were believed to have brief psychotic disorder. What is that anyway?"

Clark licked his lips and looked at his hands. "I had a sudden break, I guess. My father came home and I don't remember what he did but it pissed me off. I…snapped. I don't remember killing him. All I remember was my mother walking in and I was covered in his blood. The disorder is brief hence the name. My insanity only lasted a day."

"Whose idea was it to break out of the institution?" Aria mumbled after a few silent moments.

"Maria's. She met that guy, Nathan, online. We were allowed to have connections to the outside world through the internet. Anyway, she met him online and the fell in love. She used to tell me about him but she never gave me his name. I didn't know his name until my attorney told me."

Aria nodded. "When was she raped?"

Clark furrowed his brow. "She wasn't raped." Suddenly, realization donned on him. "The baby is mine," he informed her. Aria's eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped. Clark sighed, "Look, when you're locked away in a mental asylum, it can get lonely. You get comfort wherever you can. I got my comfort from Maria." Clark shrugged. Aria shook her head and let out a breath.

Aria reached up and lightly touched the scars that were on her face. "If I knew he was going to hurt you like that, I never would have done it." Clark motioned to her scars. Aria looked away from him.

"Why did you call me here? It's been a month since that…incident. Why now?" Aria asked.

"I wanted to see you. I wanted to contact you sooner but my lawyer advised me not to." Aria nodded. Clark opened his mouth slightly. "I'm going to plead guilty. I need help."

Aria furrowed her brow. "You're not going to get the help you need in a prison. You need to plead not guilty due to insanity."

Clark smiled softly and tilted his head. "Why do you care?"

Aria looked at the table. "People make mistakes. It's going to take me a while to forgive you but I'm going to try." Clark smiled. "One more thing, my mother's accident…"

"Maria got impatient with me. She wanted me to kidnap you sooner but I couldn't bring myself to do it. She thought hurting your mother would somehow get me to do it." Clark shrugged. "She's crazy."

Aria nodded. "I should go." She stood up and turned around to walk out.

"Aria?" Clark called. She turned around and raised her eyebrows. "Are you and Mr. Fitz…still…you know?" Aria smiled softly and nodded.

"We've been helping each other through this. Plus, his former sister-in-law moved to town so, we've all been dealing with it in our own way, I guess." Clark nodded.

"I'm glad you're okay, Aria," he stated sincerely. Aria nodded.

"Be safe in there, Clark." Clark smiled at her and nodded. He watched as she left him behind.

**Ezra POV**

Ezra was leaning against his car when she came out. He stood straighter and beamed at her as she walked up to him. She stopped right in front of him. He peered down at her through his dark sunglasses. Aria reached up and brushed the hair out of her face.

"How did it go?" he asked.

Aria smiled and nodded. "Good. We both got what we needed. Did you end up going in to talk to Nathan?" The smile fell from Ezra's lips quickly.

"Aria…We talked about this." Ezra clenched his jaw. He hadn't spoken to Nathan since that day. There was no way he was going to be able to sit across from him in that small room and be amicable. He wanted to do nothing but strangle the guy.

Aria nodded. "Uncle Ez! Aunt Awia! Hurry up!" Ezra turned to the backseat of his car. Aria smiled down at the little boy. He beamed up at them.

"We're coming, Little Man," Aria said. Ezra turned back to Aria and grinned.

"I was going to tell you tonight but I think now is a good time." Aria tilted her head in wonder. Ezra smiled down at her. "Hollis offered me the job. I start on Monday." Aria smiled up at him.

"That's fantastic!" Aria jumped into his arms. Ezra laughed and held her flush against him and twirled her around. Finally, he sat her down but kept her in his arms.

"I love you," he whispered. Aria beaming smile turned into a genuine one.

"I love you, too," she whispered back. Ezra leaned down and softly pressed his lips to hers.

"Uncle Ez and Aunt Awia, get in the car!" Ezra closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against Aria's. Aria chuckled and pulled away.

"We're telling your parents about us tonight, right?" Ezra asked as he opened her door for her. Aria smiled at him.

"Definitely." She pressed one more kiss to his lips before getting in the vehicle.

**A/N: So, that's it(= I figured this would be a perfect way to end this story. I would like to thank everyone for reviewing. Your wonderful reviews really do make me want to keep writing. I already have my next Ezria fic planned out so, I should get started on it soon and then post it on here. Thank you again for reviewing!**


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